Ashley man arrested on child pornography charge

By Todd Marver

tmarver@nashnews.net

A 57-year-old Ashley man was arrested on a child pornography charge on Friday, October 27.

According to a press release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Robert D. Paul of Ashley was arrested at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for a Jefferson County arrest warrant charging child pornography. Paul was at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office inquiring about why deputies were at his house earlier the same day.

The arrest was a result of a Jefferson Sheriff’s Office investigation initiated on July 4 when JCSO members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received cyber tip-line information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about suspected child pornography. The information led to multiple search warrants for electronic records and eventually a search warrant for Paul’s residence, which was served on September 8. Multiple pieces of evidence were collected and seized from the residence.

Electronic pieces of evidence collected were forensically analyzed. On September 26, the case file was forwarded to the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s Office requesting felony charges against Paul. Paul was held in the Jefferson County Jail to await his first court hearing.