A Kentucky man was arrested June 28 in Nicholasville, Ky., and is being transported back to Charlotte County after authorities say he violated his probation stemming from multiple child porn charges from 2003.

Ronald Keith Neal, 54, originally of Lexington, Ky., was arrested in 2003 and charged with 300 counts of possession of child pornography, according to court documentation, after authorities found hundreds of sexually explicit images of prepubescent children on his computer at his Englewood home. Authorities found both images and videos depicting children performing sex acts, the documents state.

Neal told authorities during the 2003 investigation that he traded these images and videos with others online, using his then-18-year-old daughter’s name while doing so. Neal’s daughter told authorities she never had a sexual encounter with her father, the documents state.

In all, authorities found more than 450 videos and images on Neal’s computer, with some depicting adult males having sexual intercourse with male and female children.

Neal eventually pleaded guilty to 150 counts of possession of child pornography, with the State Attorney’s Office choosing not to pursue the other half of the charges.

Neal served 18 months in prison. He moved back to his home state of Kentucky, and is in the midst of serving 10 years of sex offender probation.

According to an arrest warrant signed June 27 by 20th Judicial Circuit Judge Christine Greider, Neal violated his probation by failing to participate in a sex offender treatment program.

More important, the arrest warrant also states that witnesses observed Neal having contact with a 10-year-old boy in Kentucky, and that he later admitted to Kentucky authorities that he was “grooming” the young boy for a relationship, the warrant states. Neal also admitted to holding the boy’s hand at a Walmart, as well as to seeing him regularly at church.

The activities allegedly violate one term of his probation, which was that he have no unsupervised contact with a child under the age of 18.

It’s unknown when Neal will be returned to Charlotte County to appear before Greider. Nicholasville Police Department officials could not be reached for comment.

Email: dwinchester@sun-herald.com