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NEWTOWN -- A 28-year-old Newtown man was arrested after detectives found more than 300 child pornography images stashed away on his computer during a raid on his home Friday morning, authorities said.

Edward Wilson was taken into custody at about 9 a.m. at his Hillcrest Road home and charged with first-degree possession of child pornography and promoting a minor in an obscene performance, according to state police spokesman Lt. Paul Vance.

Authorities began probing Wilson's online activities in February after several of his emails were flagged by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Vance said. The national agency alerted state police, triggering a two-month investigation that culminated with Friday's arrest.

Armed with a search and seizure warrant, detectives from the State Police Computer Crimes Unit and Newtown police descended on Wilson's home, where they seized "several items of evidentiary value," according to a state police press release.

Wilson was held on $100,000 bond and was slated to appear in state Superior Court in Danbury on Friday.

"The case is still under investigation. There is additional work that state police detectives and Newtown police will continue," Vance said.

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