A Roseburg man was arrested Monday afternoon after police say they found 26 images of children engaged in sexual activity on his computers.

Kenneth Lee Shepherd, 43, was taken into custody without incident at his home, according to the Roseburg Police Department. He was accused of 26 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse, one charge for each image.

Shepherd was the target of an investigation that began last December. Roseburg police Sgt. Aaron Dunbar declined to comment on how police identified Shepherd as a potential suspect.

None of the images is believed to depict local children, Dunbar said.

“These were images that he obtained from other people,” Dunbar said. “We don’t believe that he took any of the photos.”

Police seized three computers and other evidence after serving a search warrant Aug. 10. Rio Networks of Roseburg provided equipment and technical assistance in the investigation.

The computers have been sent to forensic experts for a more thorough examination to determine whether any other images are hidden on the hard drives, Dunbar said.

“We don’t want to accidentally destroy any evidence, so that’s why we send them off to experts for examination,” he said.

Shepherd was taken to the Douglas County Jail, where he remained in custody today in lieu of $2.9 million bail.

• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 541-957-4209 or by email at jsowell@nrtoday.com.