Florida authorities find 220,000 child porn images in house

Authorities in Florida arrested a 72-year-old man last week after investigators found his home stashed with a sick trove of more than 220,000 printed images of child pornography, which investigators say weighed over a ton.

Paul Zittel of Ocala, Florida, faces 25 counts of possession of child pornography for the haul, stacked in crusty old boxes throughout his office and bedroom, according to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities arrested Zittel on Feb. 23 and brought him to the Marion County Jail, where he remains on $250,000 bond, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Investigators tracked Zittel down after Sheriff’s Office Det. Chase King got information in January that several files showing child sexual abuse had been uploaded to the internet.

Police said they tracked the uploads to Zittel’s IP address, then got a warrant for his home.

During the raid, other residents allegedly told cops Zittel wouldn’t allow anyone in his bedroom or office without personally escorting them. That’s where police said they found his twisted horde.

“Detectives seized the printed materials, a computer, and a digital storage device and removed them from the home,” the Sheriff’s Facebook post said.

Investigators estimate his perverted papers weigh about 2,600 pounds in total.