(PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo.) — The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) said detectives arrested a 43-year-old man on Tuesday, Sept. 23 for felony sexual exploitation of children after finding more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material in his possession.

Detectives arrested Matthew Phelps on an arrest warrant for three counts of felony exploitation of children. PCSO said Phelps’ arrest came after several months of investigation by PCSO’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) detectives. Detectives began their investigation in May after getting a tip through ICAC that someone at a home in the 27000 block of Woburn Abbey off the St. Charles Mesa had been downloading child sexual abuse material.

Detectives learned that more than 1,100 graphic images and videos of children ranging from teenagers to infants had been downloaded from the internet. The actions were allegedly associated with the Woburn Abbey address where Phelps lived.

According to PCSO, detectives executed search warrants at the home and on electronic devices, finding the images and videos. Detectives questioned Phelps, and he allegedly admitted to having viewed the material in the past. Following the detectives’ investigation, they sought an arrest warrant for Phelps and took him into custody without incident.

“We are fully committed to protecting children and ensuring that those who exploit them are held accountable,” said Pueblo County Sheriff David J. Lucero. “While we do not know who these victims are, I commend our detectives for the difficult and tireless investigative work they did in identifying the offender and making an arrest in this most disturbing crime.”