A Bradford man who told police he’s been viewing child pornography since 2003 was arrested Tuesday by the state Attorney General’s Child Predator Unit for allegedly having more than 40 sexual images of children on his computer.

Steven Lawrence Hurd, 36, of 95 Mechanic St., floor 2, is charged with 25 counts each of sexual abuse of children by disseminating child pornography and sexual abuse of children by possessing child pornography, and one count of criminal use of a computer, all third-degree felonies.

According to court records, on July 31, an agent with the predator unit was conducting an online investigation on peer-to-peer sharing networks when he came across a computer sharing images depicting sexual images of children. He made a direct connection with the host computer and downloaded numerous images depicting underaged girls engaged in sexual acts or poses. 

Among the names of the files were “LS fairyland stunning dolls,” “LS little guest sets” “showgirls,” and “shining pretties,” the court records read. The girls were in sexual poses and costumes in the images, the agents noted.

The Attorney General’s office received a court order to trace the Internet address of the host computer, and found it belonged to Hurd.

Tuesday morning, agents from the Attorney General’s Office and Bradford City Police executed a search warrant at Hurd’s residence, finding him home. He told police he lived alone, the records read.

He agreed to speak with the agents, explained he has a secure Internet connection, knows how file sharing programs work and that he allegedly “first saw (child pornography) images in 2003 and has viewed them on and off since that time,” the records read.

At the time of Tuesday’s search, Hurd’s computer allegedly contained 42 images of apparent child pornography. However, Special Agent Matthew Zahm of the Attorney General’s computer forensics unit noted “this was just a sampling of the child pornography present on the defendant’s computer,” the court records read.

Hurd was arraigned before Magisterial District Judge Dom Cercone and remanded to McKean County Jail in Smethport in lieu of $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in Central Court on Oct. 2.