BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday for possessing child pornography.
Mason Jered Shoemaker, 45, pleaded guilty to 20 counts of distributing, possession or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class C felony.
Shoemaker pleaded guilty under an agreement Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor, reached with attorney Kevin Lammers. Cearley agreed to dismiss another 20 counts in exchange for the guilty plea.
Shoemaker was arrested Aug. 22.
His arrest stemmed from an investigation of online sharing of child pornography in June by the Benton County Sheriff's Office's Cyber Crime Division, according to court documents.
Detectives were able to trace the sharing to Shoemaker's computer, according to the affidavit. Detectives took a laptop computer and other electronic devices from his home.
Shoemaker admitted in court to possessing a least 20 images of child pornography from June 15 to Aug. 22, according to court documents.
Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreement. She sentenced Shoemaker to 30 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He must abide by a suspended sentence agreement for seven years after his release from prison.
He must register as a sex offender and pay $2,170 in court costs.
NW News on 01/18/2017