By Shavonne Walker

shavonne.walker@salisburypost.com

GRANITE QUARRY — Authorities have brought additional charges against a Granite Quarry teen charged last year with posting nude photos of young girls on social media sites and sending them nude pictures of himself.

Investigators say Peter Thomas Kiever, 19, was charged Thursday with the following:

• Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor  – solicited a nude picture from an 11-year-old female,

• Indecent liberties with a child – took immoral, improper, and indecent liberties with an 11-year-old female,

• Indecent liberties with a child – took immoral, improper, and indecent liberties with a 13-year-old female,

• First-degree sex offense of a child – engaged in a sex offense with a child under the age of 13 years,

• First-degree rape of a child –  did carnally know and abuse a child under the age of 13 years,

• Disseminate obscene material to a minor – sent a nude picture to a 12-year-old female,

• Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor – solicited a nude picture from a 12-year-old female,

• Second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor – solicited a nude picture from a 17-year-old male

All of the above charges are felony offenses. He has been in the Rowan County Detention Center under a $250,000 secured bond since his March 2014 arrest.

The initial investigation began on October 7, 2013 when Granite Quarry authorities received a harassment complaint against Kiever through the use of Twitter, Facebook, Kik, and other social media sites. Investigators with the Granite Quarry-Faith Joint Police Authority, Landis and Rockwell police departments arrested Kiever at his Stonewyck Drive home in Granite Quarry.

Kiever lived there with his parents, including father Brian Kiever, who ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2014. Investigators say they linked Peter Kiever to the social media accounts used to post the illicit photos through a computer owned by his father. Police received information that Peter Kiever was soliciting nude pictures from juveniles and had them stored on a thumb drive.

Investigator Todd Taylor with the Granite Quarry-Faith Police has said Kiever was asking individuals to submit pictures so he could then distribute them to others. Investigators say those pictures wound up on Instagram.
Taylor said Kiever knew some of those whose pictures were posted to the photo sharing site.

After the initial charges were filed in March 2014, additional victims were identified and/or came forward, Granite authorities said.

These victims were interviewed by Granite Quarry-Faith Police Department Investigator Todd Taylor and agents from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, which resulted in the additional charges, a statement said.

Based on information following the interviews, it was concluded that Kiever requested nude pictures from several additional young girls ranging in age from 11 to 17 and received at least one picture from one of the victims. A victim also said she received a nude picture of a male from Peter Kiever.

An additional juvenile victim was interviewed with the assistance of SBI investigators and provided information indicating that Kiever engaged in “an immoral and improper” sex act on the 13-year-old juvenile. The juvenile also revealed that Kiever had engaged in sexual intercourse with the 13-year-old juvenile along with soliciting nude pictures.

Law enforcement investigators served Kiever with warrants on these additional charges, who is still in the county jail. He appeared before a Rowan County magistrate and then returned to the county jail under the terms of the current bond.

Arrest warrants say the incidents occurred between May 2013  and October 2013. Warrants also said Kiever did solicit nude photos containing visual representations of the minor engaged in sexual activity consisting of nude pictures. In one instance, he solicited nude pictures of a teen girls’ breasts. In another incident he sent the teens pictures of his nude private parts.

Landis police received complaints from residents about three Instagram accounts with pictures of nude or semi-nude young girls believed to be from local schools, including one middle school. Some of the girls were shown in bra and underwear while others were unclothed — some from the neck down and some showing the victim’s face.
Those pictures were posted to Instagram accounts on and around Feb. 14, Landis Police Detective Roger Hosey told the Post in March 2014, but were taken down the same day.
The Instagram accounts were tied to Kiever, a minor and an unknown person. The minor was also charged.

Kiever is scheduled for a probable cause hearing April 29. He is represented by Salisbury attorney Pete Hoffman.

Investigators ask if anyone has been a victim, know of a potential victim, or have information concerning this incident, to call Investigator Todd Taylor at 704-279-2952 ext. 226.