Norfolk man indicted for alleged sexual exploitation of children on social media

A Norfolk man was indicted last month on various child pornography production, possession and receipt charges after federal prosecutors say he used social media to sexually exploit at least six minors.

Noah Hale, 20, faces a total of eight charges in federal court, all in relation to child sex abuse materials: Four counts of production, two counts of attempted production, and one count each of receipt and possession. If convicted as charged, Hale would face a minimum of 95 years behind bars.

Though the federal docket offers few details about Hale's alleged conduct, an October 2023 search warrant filed in Webster County provides insight into how the investigation began.

According to the affidavit, the Nebraska State Patrol became aware of Hale after a Webster County man reported his 14-year-old daughter was having inappropriate conversations with a man on Snapchat. The girl identified Hale by name and said she began talking to him when she was 13 and he was 19.

In an interview, the girl told investigators that she and other minor children were in a group chat with Hale on Snapchat, according to the affidavit. There, Hale would send them "pictures of girls who had carved his name into their skin." In some of the photos, according to the affidavit, some of the girls looked to be as young as nine or 10 years old, and were naked.

The girl also said Hale threatened to come to her house to rape and kill her, according to the affidavit. She feared that he had access to her location through Snapchat's maps feature.

Another girl, 13, who was in the group chat, was located and interviewed by investigators. She said Hale added her on Snapchat and then "started being flirty" before he began sending photos of his name carved into people's arms and nude photos of other children.

When investigators made an undercover profile to view Hale's Snapchat account, they saw the phrase "cut4me" on his profile page, according to the affidavit.

Hale's indictment includes allegations that he possessed child sex abuse materials portraying children younger than 12 years old. It alleges that he solicited sexually explicit images from six children between September 2022 and December 2023, including the two girls from Webster County.

Hale appeared in court for the first time on Nov. 1, where he pleaded not guilty and was ordered to be held in custody pending trial. The case was investigated by the FBI after the initial investigation by state authorities, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Nebraska.