'Dear Abby' Calls The Police

A man who wrote to "Dear Abby" for advice on how to handle his fantasies about having sex with girls was charged Wednesday with possessing child pornography after the columnist turned him in, authorities say.

"Dear Abby" columnist Jeanne Phillips, the daughter of the column's founder, Pauline Phillips, called police after receiving the letter.

Jeanne Phillips, who shares her mother's pen name Abigail Van Buren, said she agonized over whether to report the man, since the column's credibility is based on the anonymity given those seeking her advice.

"I lost sleep, didn't sleep for days, because I really believe this man wrote to me genuinely seeking help," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I was torn, because my readers do turn to me for help, yet there was the priority of the safety of those young girls."

Phillips added: "I believe he was seeking help, and I hope that is considered and I hope he gets the help he so obviously needs."

In a telephone interview from Los Angeles early Thursday with The Associated Press, Phillips said, "He talked about one little girl in particular and he mentioned her younger sister in passing."

"There was no guarantee that if I tried to have him talk to a psychotherapist that he would actually do it," she said. "The only way I could be absolutely certain that the little girls would be safe was to try to have an intervention."

The man, Paul Weiser, 28, was charged with three counts of possession of child pornography. The judge set his bail at $10,000, and ordered him to avoid computers and contact with anyone under 18. He was released Wednesday night; a family member who answered the door at his home declined comment.

Police said 40 pornographic photographs of children were found in his computer after his arrest Monday.

"He acknowledges he needs help and denies ever acting upon any desires," said prosecutor Paul Tiffin.

Weiser could get up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count, if convicted.

He did not speak during Wednesday's brief court hearing except to answer yes when the judge asked if he understood the proceedings. The judge also ordered Weiser to participate in a mental health program.

Tom Hayes, Weiser's attorney, said he hoped Phillips' call to the police would not deter others from seeking help. He declined further comment. A preliminary hearing was set for March 25.

Pauline Phillips created the "Dear Abby" column in 1956. Her daughter has contributed to the syndicated column since the early 1980s and took over most of the duties in the early 1990s. The column appears in more than 1,200 newspapers around the globe, according to Universal Press Syndicate.

The elder Phillips' twin sister, Eppie Lederer, is the advice columnist Ann Landers.

By Melissa McCord