North Carolina man facing child porn charges worked as Santa

Monday, June 1, 2015
RALEIGH -- A 63-year-old man from North Carolina who has worked as a Santa Claus faces child pornography charges.

Leander Dewey Jones was arrested by the Raleigh Police Department on 12 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The charge generally refers to downloading child pornography, but not manufacturing it.
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An arrest report shows the alleged activity took place in August 2014.

Jones appeared in court Monday afternoon and bond was raised from $600,000 to $1 million. Prosecutors told the judge that there is also evidence Jones worked as a magician and pirate as well.

A profile on the Triangle Santa Buddies website listed Jones as "Santa Lee Jones" and that he joined the organization in 2014. The profile has since been removed.

Jones posing in a Santa costume from the Triangle Santa Buddies website.



Jones' next court date is set for June 22.
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