PRAIRIEVILLE — Ascension Parish deputies have arrested a Prairieville man accused of 60 counts of possessing child pornography. 

Benjamin McNeal, 49, was arrested on Dec. 11 on 54 counts of possessing child sexual abuse materials, as well as six counts of child sexual abuse materials involving children under the age of 13. 

Deputies began investigating McNeal on Dec. 2 when they received a tip about child sexual abuse materials uploaded to an online storage database and a social media application. 

McNeal was booked into the Ascension Parish Jail on a $50,000 bond after he was identified. 

McNeal is a registered sex offender who has a criminal history in Ascension dating back to 2020.