Police: Cary man charged with soliciting minor had sex toys, cameras

"Santa John," a 70-year-old mall Santa who was charged last month with using the internet to solicit a 15-year-old girl for a sexually explicit photo shoot, was found to have sex toys and camera equipment in his car at the time of his arrest, according to a search warrant.

John Thomas Peters, of 113 Crestpoint Ct. in Cary, was arrested January 11 in the McDonald's parking lot on U.S. 64 and Lake Pine Drive in Apex. Peters had come to McDonald's to meet with a teen who he had found on a modeling website and contacted through Facebook using a false identity. Instead, he was confronted by police.

In a recent search of Peters' car, a detective found multiple sex toys, cameras and ropes, according to a search warrant made public today. The car was a red convertible with the license plate "SANTACAR."

Police also searched Peters' home and seized several computers and hard drives believed to have contained sexually explicit photos. Police have not reported yet whether the findings from the seized equipment will result in any additional charges.

In the police sting at the McDonald's, Peters was arrested and charged with first-degree sexual exploitation, as well as dissemination of pornography to a minor under 16 years of age and solicitation of a child by computer to commit a sexual act. Peters initially faced $1 million bail, but it has since been lowered to $600,000.