An Aberdeen man is facing multiple felony charges following an investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation of a minor, according to Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields.

The investigation began after the Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. That information led forensic specialists to identify 62-year-old Joseph Robert Beckley of Aberdeen as a suspect, the Sheriff says.

On Tuesday, investigators with the Moore County Sheriff’s Office arrested Beckley with assistance from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation’s Computer Crimes Unit.

Beckley is charged with four counts of felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor and four counts of felony third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

He was taken to the Moore County Detention Center under a $125,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in Moore County District Court on November 13.

Any person facing charges is innocent in the eyes of the law until proven guilty in court.