FLORENCE -- A township man who authorities say was posting pictures of child pornography on the Internet was arrested at his home Monday as he tried to destroy a tablet with a hatchet, officials said.

Brian M. Ayres

Brian M. Ayers, 57, of the 100 block of 3rd Avenue in the Roebling section of town, is charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office announced Wednesday.

Two of the charges are for the distribution of child pornography and the intent to distribute it, and the third accuses Ayres of possessing child pornography.

The office said they were informed of Ayres' online activities last month by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and detectives started an investigation, which confirmed the allegations.

In April 2016, Ayres was charged with attempting to lure two girls into a vehicle at a Wawa in Cherry Hill.

Officials said Ayres is scheduled to be sentenced in that case Friday, in Camden County Superior Court. Officials in Camden County could not immediately be reached about the case Wednesday.

Investigators in the current case went to Ayres' home Monday with a search warrant and found him hacking at a tablet with a hatchet. Ayres used the device to connect to the internet, the prosecutor's office said.

For that act, he was charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution, the office said.

Ayres appeared in Burlington County Superior Court Tuesday, where a judge ordered him to be detained pending a detention hearing.

The prosecutor's Office High-Tech Crimes investigated the case, with the New Jersey State Police and Florence police.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.