Residents of the small western Montana community of Superior are in shock after a city official was arrested last week on child pornography charges.

The Clark Fork Vally Express reports that Superior resident and chief of the Superior Volunteer Fire Department, Richard Miller, made his initial court appearance on Friday at the Mineral County Courthouse on charges of sexual abuse of children and multiple counts of tampering with evidence.

According to an affidavit from Mineral County Justice Court, the arrest stems from an investigation that began June 29, after Missoula Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Detective Chris Shermer received multiple tips from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children regarding child pornography.

Miller allegedly attempted to destroy parts of several computers to hide evidence.

His next scheduled court appearance will be July 22.

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