Abilene man charged with child pornography, police looking for tips

An Abilene man faces two charges related to child pornography, according to a police media release on Friday.

Mark Penfield Eichorn, 27, was charged with one count of possession of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography with intent to promote it.

Eichorn was being held Friday in Taylor County Jail on a total of $50,000 in bonds, according to online jail records.

'Lewd images'

Eichorn was contacted by the Abilene Police Department during an investigation into child pornography possession, according to the press release. Officers collected electronic evidence from his cell phone "that contained lewd images of children."

Eichorn was arrested on charges of third-degree possession of child pornography and second-degree intent to promote child pornography.

The possession of child pornography carries a possible sentence of two to 10 years in prison, along with a possible $10,000 fine, according to Assistant District Attorney Erin Stamey.

Stamey said, however, that if shown at trial that the pornography is of a child younger than 10, then it is bumped up to the next level offense, a second-degree felony. That carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years.

Possession with intent to promote also carries a possibility of two to 20 years.

Both of the charges have lifetime sex-offender registration requirements, according to Stamey.

Anyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is ongoing, according to police. They ask that anyone with more information about Eichorn contact the department at 676-6610 and request to speak with Cyber Crimes.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene man charged with child pornography