A Santa Cruz man has been accused by police of downloading and possessing child sex abuse material, according to recent criminal court filings.

Santa Fe police accused 72-year-old James Earl Towles of keeping digital photos showing sex abuse of children, which investigators alleged he downloaded on a personal computer.

The investigation by Santa Fe police began in response to several tips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by Microsoft over the past two years.

Such tips are often reported by technology companies or internet providers that detect child sexual abuse material on their platforms, sometimes by using artificial intelligence to flag such images and videos.

The case was investigated by Santa Fe Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Childr

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