Man charged with child porn

A Flathead Valley man was arrested Saturday on a felony charge of sexual abuse of children.

An arrest warrant was issued two years ago for Jeff Mader, 41.

An investigation began when pornography involving children was reportedly found in an apartment Mader rented with a woman and her 3-year-old daughter, according to Flathead County Sheriff's Office detective Jeanne Landis.

There is no evidence he assaulted the girl, but her presence in his home concerned investigators.

They obtained a search warrant for his home and computer and discovered "lots of pornography," including some involving children in sexually explicit positions, Landis said.

He was found on Saturday and arrested on $25,000 bond.

The charge is relatively rare, Landis said. "It's not a crime we've investigated very much."

She said the crime doesn't come to light very often because people who possess child pornography are "really secretive about it. It takes them stepping out and molesting a child" or revealing their private possessions to someone else.

She is involved in a similar case which will be prosecuted in federal court.