COOPER COUNTY, MO -- A Cooper County man is in jail facing charges of promoting child pornography.
The investigation into Paul Durham, 32, began in mid-December when a Cyber Crimes Task Force officer learned child pornography was being offered from a computer in the mid-Missouri area.
The investigator tracked down the computer and downloaded two files just to be sure. On February 2, the investigation took another big step when officers served a search warrant at Durham’s house just south of Boonville. Officers took a computer, several hard drives, and other electronic evidence.
Investigators said they found more than 80 child pornography files, which included photos and videos. Some of the children in the images are believed to be as young as 5 to 7 years old. Investigators say Durham was supplying images to several mid-Missouri counties, including Boone, Audrain, Cooper, Callaway, Cole, Howard, and Randolph.
Officers arrested Durham Tuesday afternoon. He’s in the Boone County jail on a $40,000 bond. He’s also being ordered not to use a computer or the internet.
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