News

Mills River man faces child sex abuse charges

Tyson Emrys Neal Pike

By Lightning Reports, Published: February 14, 2026

A 39-year-old Mills River man faces multiple felonies following an investigation into allegations of sexual assault of a child, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office said Saturday.

After the sheriff’s SWAT team and Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at a home in Mills River, deputies on Friday charged Tyson Emrys Neal Pike, 39, with two counts of statutory sex offense with a child and one count each of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor, taking indecent liberties with a child and exposing a child to a controlled substance, methamphetamine. The alleged offenses happened on three different dates and involved an 11-year-old girl, arrest warrants said.

Arrested without incident, Pike was taken to the Henderson County Detention Center where he remained in custody on Saturday without bond pending a first appearance in District Court on Monday morning.

The sheriff’s office encouraged anyone with additional information about the case to contact its office or use the “submit a tip” feature on its mobile app.