An undercover investigation led by the Moore County Sheriff’s Office resulted in a Carthage man being arrested on Wednesday, and charged with multiple felony charges.

According to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation started at the beginning of May after the they received information regarding an individual allegedly in possession of child sexual abuse material.

Robert Lee Thomas, 45, of Heritage Farm Road in Carthage, was taken into custody and charged with thirty counts of Felony 2nd Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, and thirty counts of Felony 3rd Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The Moore County Sheriff’s Office says in a statement, digital evidence seized at the time of the arrest is still being analyzed by the sheriff’s office digital forensic section to establish the full extent of the offenses committed by Thomas.

Thomas was jailed to the Moore County Detention Center under a $1,000,000 secured bond and is scheduled for his first court appearance on August 7, 2024.

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Information and photos in this article were contributed by the Moore County Sheriff’s Office.