Police in Jonesboro say that a veteran children’s pastor there was found to have “tens of thousands” of video and still images of nude, pubescent girls after his wife discovered a computer file containing the images on their shared computer and called police, TV station KAIT reports.
Tony Waller, 39, has worked as a children’s pastor at Jonesboro First Assembly of God since 1999. According to an affidavit filed in the case by the Jonesboro Police Department, Waller’s wife told investigators that she was looking for something on the family’s laptop computer when she found a mysterious file. When she opened it, police say, she saw that it contained thousands of images of child pornography.
Police say that the woman told investigators that she confronted her husband about the images, at which point Waller allegedly admitted to having a child porn addiction for over 20 years. Waller gave his wife the computer and two additional computer hard drives, which she then turned over to the police. Investigators tell KAIT that the hoard of images and videos is so big that it will take months to catalog.
Waller has been fired by the church, and appeared in district court in Jonesboro on Wednesday. He was released on $2,500 bond. His next court appearance will be on June 29.