Mark Salling 'Glee' Star Arrested for Child Porn (Update) 
 
 Mark Salling: 'Glee' Star Arrested For Child Porn [UPDATE] 
 
 Exclusive Details 
 
 11:45 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources now tell us they've already seen more than a thousand images of "child sexual exploitation" on Salling's computer. Cops also seized other electronic devices, including tablets and cellphones. We're also told he lives alone, which will make it hard to argue someone else put the images in the computer. 
 
 Our sources say when cops arrived to search the home, Salling was "shocked." 
 
 We're also told Salling has already lawyered up. 
 
 "Glee" star Mark Salling has just been arrested for possessing child porn ... TMZ has confirmed. 
 
 We're told the LAPD's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force obtained a warrant and served it Tuesday morning, as first reported by the TV show "Crime Watch Daily." 
 
 We're told cops searched Salling's computer at his Sunland home and found hundreds of images. At the time of this post, Salling is being taken to the police station for booking. 
 
 Law enforcement sources say the images they captured from Salling's computer were children ... significantly younger than 15 and 16 year olds. 
 
 Our sources say an ex-girlfriend of Salling's tipped off cops and they investigated before the raid to make sure it wasn't a revenge allegation. 
 
 Salling has had his share of legal problems. In 2013 he was sued by a woman who claimed he committed sexual battery on her by forcing sex without a condom. Salling denied the charge and the case settled. 
 
 Story developing ... ||||| CRIME WATCH DAILY EXCLUSIVE 
 
 Jennifer Madison with reporting by Rebecca Waer 
 
 LOS ANGELES -- (December 29, 2015) -- "Glee" actor Mark Salling was charged Tuesday with possession of child pornography after the Los Angeles Police Department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Unit served a search warrant at his Sunland, California home and placed him under arrest. 
 
 Police used a battering ram to force entry into Salling’s residence Tuesday morning. Authorities say when they knocked on the door, announced their presence and called out Salling’s name he did not answer. The owner of the home confirmed to authorities the front door is broken. 
 
 Police sources tell “Crime Watch Daily” "hundreds" of images were found on one of Salling's personal devices during the search. 
 
 Salling’s computer and other electronic devices were also seized after he refused to share his passwords with authorities, sources tell “Crime Watch Daily.” Investigators are now searching for further images on the devices. 
 
 Salling was in custody at the LAPD Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles at the time of publication. 
 
 His bail was set at $20,000. 
 
 This isn't Salling's first public scandal. In 2013 he was sued by an ex-girlfriend alleging sexual battery. Salling was ordered to pay the plaintiff a $2.7 million settlement in that case. 
 
 Police sources say Tuesday’s bust was in the works for up to two weeks after authorities received a tip. The LAPD continued its investigation amid concerns it was part of a revenge plot but authorities eventually obtained a search warrant, leading to Salling’s arrest. 
 
 Police sources will not confirm the identity of the individual who tipped them off but tell “Crime Watch Daily” it is not the individual involved in the sexual battery case. 
 
 “Crime Watch Daily” has reached out to Salling’s representatives for comment but has not yet heard back. 
 
 Salling is best-known for his role as Noah "Puck" Puckerman on the hit television series “Glee,” which aired its season finale in March 2015. 
 
 UPDATE [3:33 p.m. PT]: Salling was released on bail at 2:26 p.m. PT. His first court appearance is scheduled for January 22. ||||| Mark Salling has died in an apparent suicide weeks before being sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography. He was 35. 
 
 “I can confirm that Mark Salling passed away early this morning. Mark was a gentle and loving person, a person of great creativity, who was doing his best to atone for some serious mistakes and errors of judgment,” his attorney Michael Proctor tells PEOPLE. “He is survived by his mother and father, and his brother. The Salling family appreciates the support they have been receiving and asks for their privacy to be respected.” 
 
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 “He was found hanging from a tree in the area of the Los Angeles River in Sunland,” Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter tells PEOPLE. Salling was pronounced dead at the scene at 9 a.m. Tuesday and his body is at the coroner’s office. According to Winter, his relatives have been notified of the death and an autopsy is scheduled for the next few days. 
 
 An LAPD PIO told PEOPLE that officers responded to a death investigation at the 11900 block of Big Tujunga Cyn Road Tuesday morning at 8:50 a.m. but could not identify Salling. 
 
 The Glee star pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor Oct. 4, 2017. After striking a plea deal in December, he was due to be sentenced in March and expected to serve four to seven years in prison. 
 
 “Mark is focused on accepting responsibility and attempting to atone for his conduct,” Proctor said in a statement to PEOPLE at the time. 
 
 Mark Salling Jason Kempin/Getty 
 
 Federal investigators say they found more than 25,000 images and 600 videos depicting child pornography on computers and thumb drives that belonged to Salling. The content depicted children as young as 3 years old being abused, according to court documents. 
 
 Salling had to register as a sex offender and enter a treatment program; have no verbal or electronic contact with anyone under the age of 18; stay 100 feet away from schools, parks, public swimming pools, youth centers, playgrounds and arcades; and pay $50,000 in restitution to each victim, according to the documents. 
 
 Salling was arrested in December 2015 after investigators said the laptop, a hard drive, and a USB flash drive seized from his residence allegedly contained thousands of images and videos depicting child pornography. (His former girlfriend called police, according to the court documents.) In May 2016, he was named in a two-count indictment alleging he received porn involving young girls. But the trial was delayed that June as he sought new legal representation. 
 
 Born in Dallas, Texas, Salling played jock Noah “Puck” Puckerman on the hit Fox show Glee from 2009-15. His other credits include a guest-role in Walker, Texas Ranger in 1999 and the TV Movie Rocky Road in 2014. 
 
 If you or someone you know is showing warning signs of suicide, consider contacting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK, texting the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or seeking help from a professional. 
 
 If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
– Mark Salling, who played Puck on Glee from 2009 to 2015, was arrested Tuesday morning for alleged possession of child pornography, an LAPD officer confirms to People. Crime Watch Daily first broke the story. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ authorities found more than a thousand images showing "child sexual exploitation" on Salling's computer, and that the images featured children "significantly younger" than 15 or 16. Salling, 33, lives alone. Sources say his ex-girlfriend tipped off police and that the actor was "shocked" when they arrived at his house; he's said to have already hired a lawyer. In 2013, the actor was sued by an ex for allegedly forcing her to have sex without a condom; he denied it, but ended up paying her more than $2.7 million when the case was settled.