CROCKETT, Texas (KLTV) – A Crockett man is in jail after he was found downloading child pornography during a visit from authorities.

Bert Franklin Burris, 83, was arrested Monday by Henderson County Sheriff’s Office investigators at his home in Crockett. According to an arrest affidavit, investigators suspected Burris of distributing the illegal material in his county, and he was actively downloading more when they arrived.

When investigators reportedly caught Burris in the act, they were “calling and talking” at his home on Oct. 24, the document says. When they entered the home, the document says they found him sitting in front of a computer connected to a large television, where investigators could see Burris closing the windows to share torrent files.

The document says Henderson County became involved in the case when an Oct. 2 surveillance of a torrent site linked hundreds of files coming into the county from a Crockett-based IP address.

After visiting his home on Oct. 24 and seeing the pouring windows, investigators spoke with Burris at his home, where he allegedly said he was the only occupant. According to the affidavit, Burris admitted during this interview that he regularly downloads, views and shares child pornography and has viewed it for the past 30 years. He also allegedly admitted that he had been actively downloading illicit files when they arrived.

After the interview, investigators took six digital storage devices from Burris’ home, one of which was a three-terabyte drive. An arrest warrant was signed for Burris later that day and he was booked into the Henderson County Jail on Monday.

Burris was granted bail Wednesday for $50,000.

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