DECATUR - Local police are investigating and a rural Macon County man could face criminal charges after he allegedly altered about 200 videotapes at the Decatur Public Library, most to include pornographic content.

Tapes also were altered at the Mount Zion District Library, though an official there says it's not yet clear how many.

Police learned of the problem at the Decatur library on Sept. 15 after a complaint by City Librarian Lee Ann Fisher, according to court records.

Lt. Jim Chervinko said the pornographic material was on the tapes at the end of the credits. Sgt. Steve Chabak said the tapes spanned a wide variety of topics but were not children's tapes. In some cases, the tapes were altered to include material that was not pornographic, Chabak said.

Police learned the name of the man who last checked out the tapes after obtaining a court order, Chervinko said. The 40-year-old suspect was arrested Thursday after police searched his home and recovered five library tapes that had been altered in the same manner, according to court documents. Police also found recording equipment and pornographic tapes, and the suspect is cooperating in the investigation, Chervinko said.

The suspect is free on $10,000 bond, of which he had to post 10 percent. He faces preliminary charges of criminal damage to state-supported property and criminal damage to library materials. Formal charges by the Macon County State's Attorney's Office have not been filed, but an arraignment is tentatively set for Oct. 26.

Fisher said in a telephone interview that the library has been proactive about finding the tapes that were altered and getting them off the shelves. She said the suspect has been banned from the library for life.

Mount Zion Police Chief Douglas Dunn said his department has just started an investigation into similar complaints at the Mount Zion library. He said police suspect the involvement of the same man but have not verified that yet.

Jennie Alexander, library director for Mount Zion, said the library became aware of the problem on Sept. 24, and staff there will review all 2,700 tapes in the library's collection, which could take 600 to 900 man hours.

"We've pulled the collection until we review it so we know what we're dealing with," she said.

Stephanie Potter can be reached at spotter@;herald-review.com or 421-7984.