A 19-year-old Albert Lea man was charged in Freeborn County District Court Thursday with child pornography possession after inappropriate photos of children were reported on his cell phone earlier in the week.

According to court records, Richard Alan Ferguson told an Albert Lea police detective last Tuesday that he had taken the photos from a computer screen the day before at the Albert Lea Public Library while he was on the social networking website Tagged.com.

He stated he did not remember whose page he was on when he saw the pictures posted, but he photographed them with his phone, the court document continues.

A search of Ferguson’s cell phone discovered more than five images of child pornography.

The information on the photos showed that the images were created May 10 around 6:16 p.m. and there was one image from April 29 at 4:54 p.m., according to court records.

Ferguson told police he had been living in Albert Lea since January, had been attending school until recently and had been living at 404 W. William St.

A person who lived at the residence notified police after the photos had been found on the phone, according to court records. The next day he was homeless and had spent the night in a Laundromat.

Freeborn County District Court Judge Steve Schwab set the young man’s bail at $50,000.

Ferguson is next scheduled to appear in court June 1.

Possession of child pornography carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine.