JOHNSTON COUNTY — A Johnston County man was arrested Thursday morning following a multi-agency investigation into alleged online child exploitation.
Austin Barrett Crews, 24, of 224 Driver Road in Middlesex—just off NC Highway 39 in northern Johnston County—is facing multiple felony charges.
The Johnston County Sheriff’s Office launched its investigation after receiving a tip from the Owatonna Police Department in Minnesota. An undercover officer there, posing online as a parent, was allegedly contacted by Crews during a child predator sting operation…