MARION COUNTY, Fla. (MCSO) – On Thursday, February 23, 2023, Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) Major Crimes Detective Chase King arrested Paul Zittel, 72, for 25 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.
During the month of January, Detective King received information that multiple files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) had been uploaded to the internet. Further investigation determined that the files were uploaded from IP addresses assigned to Zittel. A search warrant was then obtained for Zittel’s residence, located at 4210 SE 46th Street, in Ocala.
On Thursday, February 23, 2023, the search warrant was executed at Zittel’s home. Contact was made with other residents at the home, who stated Zittel would not allow others into his bedroom or office without personally escorting them. During the search, detectives located countless printed photographs of pornography, many of which depicted CSAM. The prints had been arranged into large stacks and boxes throughout Zittel’s bedroom and office, and a printer on his desk displayed obvious signs of heavy use. Detectives seized the printed materials, a computer, and a digital storage device and removed them from the home.
Zittel was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail, where he remains held on a $250,000 bond.
Detectives estimated there to be more than 220,000 printed images in Zittel’s possession, which together weighed approximately 2,600 pounds.
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