A tip regarding the sending and receiving of child pornography through social media led to the Wednesday arrest of the Port Neches Fire Chief, according to information from the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.
Paul Nelson, 54, was jailed Wednesday and charged with two counts of promotion of child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each second-degree felony charge in addition to fines that could total $20,000.
Nelson was arrested at about 9 a.m. by the Port Neches Police Department, which is working with both the Texas Attorney General’s Child Exploration Unit and the DA’s office.
Officials say the search warrant and arrest are the result of a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline regarding the sending and receiving of child pornography through private messages on a social media site.
“We periodically receive tips from (the National Center for Mission and Exploited Children),” District Attorney Bob Wortham said. “It’s not uncommon, but it’s just one of the methods we receive tips.”
Nelson is being held at the Jefferson County Jail. His bail had not been set as of Wednesday, but is expected Thursday morning.
Nelson has served as the chief executive officer of the department since 2015. According to his biography on the City of Port Neches’ website, he is a native of Randolph, Wisconsin; where he served as volunteer fire chief from 2006-2007. The site says he currently is the fire director for the Sabine Neches Chief’s Association; and is a member of the International Association of Fire Chiefs, Texas State Fire Chief’s Association, and the National Fire Protections Association.
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