Melvin Jay Reynolds, ex-U.S. congressman from Illinois, arrested in Zimbabwe

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Former U.S. Rep. Melvin Jay Reynolds has been arrested in Zimbabwe, said a Zimbabwean immigration official.

The official, Ario Mabika, told The Associated Press Tuesday that Reynolds is being investigated.

The state-controlled newspaper, The Herald, reported that Reynolds was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing pornographic material and violating immigration laws.

Reynolds, an Illinois Democrat, resigned from his congressional seat in 1995 after he was convicted of 12 counts of statutory rape, obstruction of justice and solicitation of child pornography.

The Herald said Reynolds was arrested by police detectives and immigration officials at a Harare hotel.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, Karen Kelley, said the embassy could not comment as it was a private matter and the embassy did not have a privacy waiver.

The newspaper reported that Reynolds had accumulated hotel bills worth $24,500 which he has not yet paid.