BREWSTER COUNTY, Texas — A Brewster County man accused of running a website telling stories of child sexual abuse is now in court.
The FBI arrested Thomas Arthur, 63, who now faces three charges involving distributing and selling obscene material involving children and the visual representation of sexual abuse of children. He is being held without bond.
According to the FBI, the website has been running for at least 19 years.
The arrest affidavit states the website published stories about rape, incest and adults sexually abusing children and included drawings of children's genitals and children performing sex acts.
According to the affidavit, the FBI traced the website's IP address to Arthur's home in Alpine.
Even more disturbing, the website had subscribers who paid up to $90 per year and got a discount if they submitted their own stories.
FBI agents say there are several disclaimers on the website that say none of the stories are real.
However, a significant number of the site's subscribers had prior convictions for sex crimes against children, including child porn and child abuse.
During an interview with Arthur, he told the FBI the website had over 800 subscribers.