Darrin Bell, a cartoonist recognized with a Pulitzer Prize and known for his satirical artwork featured in newspapers for many years, was taken into custody in California on Wednesday. This arrest follows the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office reporting the discovery of a significant number of child pornography materials at his residence.

The 49-year-old creator of “Candorville” was apprehended by sheriff’s detectives after a lengthy investigation initiated by a tip-off from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Investigators allegedly found over 100 videos of child pornography in Bell’s collection, including some produced by artificial intelligence. This finding stemmed from Bell’s involvement with an online account that shared 134 videos depicting the sexual abuse of minors.

Currently, Bell is detained at Sacramento’s main jail facing two felony charges, with bail set at $1 million, according to jail records. He is expected to appear in court on Friday.

This arrest marks a first for Sacramento County under a revised California law that prohibits the possession of computer-generated child sexual abuse material. This law, which was expanded to include AI-generated content, took effect on January 1 this year.

Hailing from California, Bell began his comic career contributing to prominent state publications like The Daily Californian, The Los Angeles Times, and The San Francisco Chronicle. His comic “Candorville” gained national attention in 2003 when it started being featured in The Washington Post, where it was nationally syndicated.

Bell received the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for his contributions to editorial cartooning. The Pulitzer committee praised his work as “beautiful and daring,” highlighting his efforts to address issues facing marginalized communities and exposing lies and hypocrisy amid the political challenges during the Trump administration.

Known for his sharp critique of Trump and his influence on the Republican Party, Bell’s work often embodied a scathing tone. YSL News has previously syndicated his cartoons.