Union County employee accused of sexual exploitation of a minor, peeping

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A maintenance technician with Union County is accused of felony third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and felony secretly peeping, the sheriff stated Thursday night in a news release.

Union County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 48-year-old Jamie Belk, of Waxhaw, as part of an investigation with Internet Crimes Against Children.

The investigation started when the sheriff’s office got a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about someone downloading and having images flagged as child pornography.

Detectives eventually learned that Belk was an employee with Union County.

Belk was arrested based on evidence and “forensic examinations” of his electronic device.

Belk was immediately suspended without pay, Union County officials said.

“We have taken immediate action to suspend Jamie Belk’s employment with Union County without pay while these serious allegations are investigated,” said Mark Watson, county manager. “I am fully committed to supporting the sheriff’s office with the ongoing investigation. As public servants, our role is not only to serve Union County residents but uphold the values of this community. We hold our employees to the highest of standards and will continue to do so.”

Belk was processed into the Union County Jail Thursday night.

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“Our detectives were able to effectively utilize this cyber tip to identify and ultimately arrest a suspect in this case,” Sheriff Eddie Cathey said. “I am proud of the work that was done during this investigation and this agency will continue to aggressively

investigate and arrest those in our community seeking to exploit our children.”

This investigation is ongoing.

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