Sex offender arrested after deputies find photos of neighbor's daughters

HARRIS COUNTY (KTRK) -- Precinct 4 deputies arrested a convicted sex offender after they allegedly found photographs of underage girls at a home in Harris County.

Paul Aaron Bagwell, 50, is accused of taking sexually explicit photographs of two underage girls who lived near Bagwell's residence, deputies say.

Details of the investigation were revealed today at Bagwell's probable cause hearing where he seemed to admit to having at least one photo. According to court documents, the girls were both under the age of 14.

"The phone wasn't mine, and there was only one female. Not two on there," Bagwell said.

When Bagwell was told that his bond would be set at $100,000 for each count of sexual performance of a child, he asked, "Why so high?"

"You're a convicted sex offender," the judge said.

During an investigation by the Harris County Pct. 4 High Tech Crimes Unit, deputies discovered that Bagwell had been previously charged with indecency with a child and with sexual contact of a child.

An arrest warrant was obtained for the charge of sexual performance of a child, and during the search of Bagwell's residence, deputies found that he had been living in a half-way house for other registered sex offenders.