PUEBLO, Colo. (KOAA) — The Pueblo County Sheriff's Office has arrested 43-year-old Matthew Phelps, a local man, on three counts of felony sexual exploitation of children.
Officials say they found more than 1,100 images and videos of child pornography in his possession.
Phelps has been booked into the Pueblo County Jail on a $75,000 cash or surety bond.
According to the sheriff's office, detectives from the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) began investigating Phelps in May after they received a tip that someone in his area had been downloading child pornography.
Detectives later found that more than 1,100 images and videos had been downloaded and could be traced back to the address where Phelps lives.
Authorities were able to obtain a search warrant at the home, and on electronic devices inside the home, where they found the images and videos.
After questioning Phelps, he admitted to having viewed it in the past, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Pueblo County Sheriff's detectives worked in collaboration with the Internet Crimes Against Children and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for this case.
We are fully committed to protecting children and ensuring that those who exploit them are held accountable. While we do not know who these victims are, I commend our detectives for the difficult and tireless investigative work they did in identifying the offender and making an arrest in this most disturbing crime."
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