OCALA, Fla. — A Central Florida man is facing several charges after the Marion County Sheriff's Office said they found more than one ton of printed images containing child porn at his home.
Paul Zittel, 72, was arrested on Feb. 23, and charged with 25 counts of possession of child pornography after detectives conducted a search warrant back in January, the Marion County Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.
The investigation began in the new year when a detective received information in regards to multiple files showing child sex abuse material (CSAM) had been uploaded to the internet, the sheriff's office reports. A further investigation linked the files to IP addresses that led to Zittel, the sheriff's office reports.
During the search last week, detectives spoke with other residents in the house who told them, "Zittel would not allow others into his bedroom or office without personally escorting them," the sheriff's office said. Detectives were able to locate "countless" images of pornography, many of which depicted child sex abuse material.
The printed images were arranged into large stacks and boxes inside Zettel's room and office, the Marion County Sheriff's Office reports. A printer was also nearby that had "obvious signs of heavy use."
Detectives estimated that there were at least 220,000 printed images found in Zittel's possession, the sheriff's office said. Altogether, it weighed somewhere around 2,600 pounds.
Zittel was booked into the Marion County Jail. His bond was set at $250,000.
