Police: Man spotted following 8-year-old girl had 'thousands' of pornographic pictures on phone

LACEY -- A man arrested for allegedly following and filming an 8-year-old girl as she walked to her school bus was found with "thousands" of pornographic pictures on his phone, Lacey police said.

Around 8 a.m. on Feb. 27, the girl was walking to her bus stop near the intersection of 14th Avenue and Willow Street in Lacey when she spotted a blue sedan that was following her, she told police. The girl noticed the driver of the sedan, a 54-year-old man, was filming her with a cell phone, police said.

Scared, the girl contacted a neighbor how was outside and asked for help. The neighbor walked the child back to her house and reported the incident to her mother, police said. The mother contacted police, who set up surveillance in the area.

On Thursday, police spotted a blue sedan matching the description provided by the child. The suspect was contacted, and a search warrant was served on his phone. Police said they discovered "thousands of pornographic photographs," but police did not specify whether the pornographic photos were of underage children, or of consenting adults.

After interviewing the suspect, he was arrested for suspicion of stalking with sexual motivation. He was booked into Nisqually Jail and is slated to appear in court Monday.

Police fear there could possibly be more victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lacey Police Department or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477,