Former Second Baptist Volunteer Arrested on Child Pornography Charge
Investigators opened the case after an August tip alleging he viewed child abuse material, which led to a search that recovered images identified in part by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Overview
- Deputies say a phone and tablet seized from Carter August Thomas’s Harris County home contained about 23 images meeting the legal definition of child sexual abuse material.
- Digital forensics found 14 files matched material cataloged by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and web history aligned with the recovered content.
- The investigation began after an emailed allegation in August that he had admitted to viewing such material, with a family member later telling deputies he had made a similar confession.
- Thomas was booked into the Harris County Jail and released on a $15,000 bond with conditions barring contact with children, keeping 1,000 feet from child-centered locations, and prohibiting church volunteering.
- Court records describe him as a volunteer youth pastor at Houston’s Second Baptist Church during the period in question, a characterization his attorney disputes.