Blogging site Tumblr notifies authorities of child pornography with Mid-Missouri ties

A Moberly man has been charged with possession of child pornography after authorities received a tip from the social networking and blog site, Tumblr.

Michael W. Steel, 39, was arrested Sunday after a months-long investigation by the Boone County Sheriff’s Department Cyber Crimes Task Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

In Dec. 2012, Tumblr notified NCMEC that a user had uploaded child porn to the site. NCMEC then forwarded the complaint to the Cyber Crimes Task Force after determining the user lived in Mid-Missouri.

Investigators seized computers and other electronic devices from Steele’s Moberly home in March. They found hundreds of photos depicting the molestation of minors. Authorities say some of the children were as young as 3 to 4 years old.

Moberly police arrested Steele Sunday at his home.

Steele is in the Randolph County Jail on a $20,000 cash-only bond.