Archive for May, 2026
May 8, 2026

In North Carolina, “sexting” is not a specific legal term found in the criminal code. Instead, the state relies on aggressive felony sexual exploitation of a minor statutes—the same laws used to prosecute high-level child pornography cases. This means that a single digital image involving anyone under the age of 18 can instantly transition from […]

May 8, 2026

If you searched “sexual assault vs. rape,” you’re probably trying to figure out whether these are two different crimes, how the law draws the line between them, and what the consequences look like for each. The short answer is that North Carolina doesn’t actually have a crime called “sexual assault.” The state uses a different […]

May 8, 2026

Under North Carolina law, solicitation of a minor is a felony charge that does not require contact with an actual child. N.C.G.S. § 14-202.3 makes it a crime to use a computer or electronic device to solicit a person the defendant believes to be underage to commit an unlawful sex act. The offense requires that […]

May 8, 2026

Child enticement, under North Carolina law, refers to using a computer or electronic device to solicit a minor — or someone believed to be a minor — to commit an unlawful sex act. The charge is set out in N.C.G.S. § 14-202.3, and it carries consequences that most people do not fully understand until they […]

May 8, 2026

An indecent exposure charge can be beaten by attacking the specific elements the prosecution is required to prove — willfulness, public setting, presence of another person, and in some cases, sexual intent. If any one of those elements falls apart, the charge does not hold. Below, we break down exactly what the state must prove […]

May 8, 2026

Most felony sexual assault charges in North Carolina have no statute of limitations. That means the state can bring charges five, ten, or twenty years after the alleged offense — there is no deadline. Because nearly every sexual assault offense in North Carolina is classified as a felony, this rule applies to the vast majority […]

May 8, 2026

The age of consent in North Carolina is 16 years old. But that single number doesn’t tell you what you actually need to know — because North Carolina does not treat all situations the same. The charges you could face, and how severe those charges are, depend on the specific ages of both people involved […]

May 8, 2026

Aggravated sexual assault in North Carolina is a first-degree forcible sex offense — a Class B1 felony that carries a mandatory active prison sentence averaging nearly 20 years. North Carolina’s criminal code does not use the exact phrase “aggravated sexual assault.” That creates immediate confusion for anyone trying to understand what they or someone they […]

May 8, 2026

North Carolina law does not use the phrase “sexual assault” as a single criminal charge. Instead, what most people mean when they search this question — non-consensual sexual contact or intercourse — is prosecuted under a set of specific, graduated offenses. These range from a Class A1 misdemeanor to a Class B1 felony. Each is […]

May 6, 2026

Voyeurism charges in North Carolina fall under N.C.G.S. § 14-202, the state’s “secret peeping” statute. Depending on the specific conduct alleged, a charge can range from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class H felony. Certain convictions can also result in court-ordered sex offender registration. This page covers what the statute actually criminalizes, how North […]