Sex offender arrested after Gaston Co. deputies find child sexual abuse material on laptop

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — The Gaston County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a convicted sex offender after they said they found child sexual abuse material on a laptop.

The sheriff’s office says on January 20, they received information from a concerned neighbor about a man who was later identified as William Sedich, a convicted sex offender in North Carolina and Michigan. Deputies interviewed the neighbor and learned that Sedich was believed to be in possession of child sexual abuse material.

On January 25, the sheriff’s office took out a search warrant to look through his laptop.

On February 19, the Sheriff’s Office and the Gastonia Police Department said they found child sexual abuse material on the laptop.

The sheriff’s office learned Sedich was in Michigan. Michigan authorities took Sedich into custody. Gaston County deputies traveled to Michigan on February 20 to bring Sedich to Gaston County to be charged.

Channel 9 asked the sheriff’s office if any of the child sexual abuse material that was found were from children in the area. They sent us a statement saying, “While this is a sensitive case involving minors, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office’s top priority is to ensure that justice is administered fairly and swiftly. To achieve this, we cannot disclose this information due to an ongoing investigation.”

Sedich is charged with eight counts of felony third-degree exploitation of a minor, and one count of failing to report a new address. He was originally eligible for release with a $250,000 bond, but that was changed to no bond because of his criminal history, according to court documents.

(WATCH: Fugitive sex offender from Georgia arrested in Union County, police say)

Fugitive sex offender from Georgia arrested in Union County, police say

©2023 Cox Media Group