Stonington pediatrician Todd M. Parrilla has been arrested by federal authorities and charged with possessing and distributing hundreds of images of child pornography.

Federal agents took Parrilla into custody Tuesday after executing a search warrant at his home at 40 Pellegrino Road. He was presented before a federal magistrate who ordered he be held without bond at least until Friday.

According to a criminal complaint prepared by Special Agent James J. Wines of the FBI, Parrilla, 47, who lives alone, admitted to agents that he has been involved in trading child pornography for about five years and is sexually aroused by the images.

The document indicates that federal agents targeted him after a law enforcement officer in Kansas City, Mo., acting in an undercover capacity, logged into a publicly available Internet file-sharing program and downloaded 104 images of child pornography from a shared directory maintained by Parrilla. The sexually explicit images were of adolescent white males.

Agents raided Parrilla's house at about 6 a.m. Tuesday, seizing computer-related components that included three detachable hard drives and a bag containing more than 100 printed images of child pornography from a closet in Parrilla's bedroom. They also seized three shotguns and a rifle that appear to have been legally owned.

Parrilla, who is a doctor of osteopathic medicine, or a D.O. rather than an M.D., has been practicing for 20 years. His office is at 20 South Anguilla Road in Pawcatuck. His partner at Westone Pediatrics could not immediately be reached to comment.

Parrilla's parents attended the court appearance, where the short, stocky pediatrician appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas P. Smith in a striped polo shirt and khaki pants. He kept his hands folded in front of him and his head down and spoke only to confirm to the judge that he understood the proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul H. McConnell requested that Parrilla be detained for at least three days while the government continues its investigation. McConnell said the government is concerned, because of Parrilla's occupation, about key fobs seized from Parrilla that could be used for surreptitiously recording images. Also, the prosecutor said, the additional time would give the public a chance to come forward with information.

Attorney Alan J. Sobol of Hartford, who said he expects to be retained by Parrilla, said the doctor has been practicing medicine for more than 20 years without any disciplinary issues and has no prior criminal history. He said Parrilla has strong family ties, with parents and a brother who live in the area.

At a hearing scheduled for Friday, Sobol is expected to request that Parrilla be released while his case is pending. If he is released, he would be expected to post bond or collateral and would be supervised by probation officers. His home would be inspected and he would be forbidden from using computers.

"As for the surreptitious recordings, it likely will not be an issue as this matter ensues," said Sobol.

Sobol said the defense would welcome the opportunity for mental health evaluation and treatment for Parrilla.

A Pawcatuck woman whose teenage son has been a patient of Parrilla for about five years said Tuesday that Parrilla is a "great doctor and a nice man."

"I think anyone who hears this is going to be really surprised and sad. He's a great guy, a very nice, fun, funny man," said the woman, who asked not to be named. "It's just too bad that this is even happening. It's too bad for his practice and all the nice women working in his office (who) will go down with him."

After learning about the alleged charges against Parrilla, she said she spoke with her son, who said he has had "nothing but positive experiences" with the pediatrician and that he was just as surprised to learn of the charges as she was.

"It seems we're talking photographs, we're not talking inappropriate touching or anything like that yet, but it's still a different level of discomfort," she said. "It's just uncomfortable and unfortunate."

If convicted of the pornography possession and distribution charges, he faces up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000. The distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison.

Day staff writers Judy Benson and Julianne Hanckel contributed to this report.