Ex-Smithfield town worker faces child porn charges

A former Smithfield town employee was arrested Wednesday after child pornography was found on his office computer, police said.

Paul Hulth, 53, of Clayton, was charged with 10 counts of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. He was placed in the Johnston County Jail under a $400,000 bond. His first court appearance was set for Thursday.

Police said they started investigating in April 2009 after other town employees found "an inappropriate picture of what appeared to be a female juvenile" that had been printed from Hulth's office computer.

Hulth was employed as an engineering technician at the Smithfield Operations Center at the time, police said.

Forensics experts with the State Bureau of Investigation examined the computer and found pornographic images involving children on it, police said.