A case against Thomas Hayes Waters for possessing child pornography has been dismissed by the state North Carolina.

Waters’ case was dismissed during Polk County District Court on Sept. 2.

Waters, of Columbus, had been charged by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on March 25 with felony second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office case involved a picture of an underage male on Waters’ phone.

Waters said he was falsely accused. He said the picture was sent to him through an app on his phone and he sent the picture to the boy’s mother to alert the parent of what the boy had sent. Waters said he freely showed the sheriff’s office the photograph in question and he was turned in by the mother who he alerted about her son’s activities because of a grudge against him.

State prosecutors said it was not in the state’s best interest to prosecute the case.