LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Police said a Shepherdsville man who took his computer to a local repair shop wound up in jail after the shop's owner discovered child pornography on the device. 

According to court documents, 66-year-old Richard Mertz was arrested Friday afternoon by the Shepherdsville Police Department.

Police said days earlier, on March 13, Mertz took his computer to Ferguson Computers, a Shepherdsville computer repair shop, and asked them to transfer desktop files to his new hard drive. 

While the repair shop owner was transferring the files, he came cross child pornography images, according to court documents.

Police were called, and an officer was able to verify that the images were indeed child pornography. 

Christine Ferguson is vice president of Ferguson Computers and said she's traumatized by what she saw on Mertz's computer.

"You're never prepared to see images like that, but especially with how blatant they were," she said. "I mean, I've been physically ill over what I saw. I've lost sleep, I cry just randomly. It's something that stays with you."

Ferguson said her staff knew immediately what to do.

"There was absolutely no questioning what was happening in these pictures," she said. "The children in these pictures were under the age of 10. And there was absolutely no question that we were going to involve the police."

Ferguson provided WDRB with a surveillance image showing Mertz dropping off his computer at her computer repair shop.

"He did specifically mentioned, 'I want what's on the desktop. I want 50 photos from the computer,'" she said. "I'll be honest: we didn't have red flags until we booted up the computer."

Pam Darnall, the president and CEO of Family and Children's Place applauded Ferguson's actions.

"That person did a beautiful job of knowing immediately, 'This is not right. I have to call somebody,'" she said. 

She added that Kentucky and Indiana are also mandatory reporting states.

"Basically what that means is every adult in Indiana and Kentucky, if we see something that makes us suspicious, that it could maybe be child abuse or neglect, we're really required by law to report it," she said.

A warrant was issued for Mertz's arrest Thursday, and he was arrested Friday afternoon at his home. He's charged with six counts of possession of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor. 

He's currently being held in the Bullitt County Detention Center.

Ferguson said she's still disturbed by the images, but she's glad Mertz is off the street.

"I felt a physical shift...when the detective told me that he'd been arrested and he was taken to jail," she said. 

If you have information about possible child abuse in Kentucky, call the abuse hotline at 1-877-597-2331. In Indiana, call 1-800-800-5556.

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