BENTONVILLE -- A Bentonville woman was being held Thursday on $100,000 bond in the Benton County Jail after she was arrested in connection with internet stalking.
Erika Ponce, 39, was arrested March 31 by Siloam Springs police in connection with internet stalking of a child, computer child pornography and sexual indecency with a child. Prosecutors have not filed formal charges against her.
The arrest was a result of an investigation where a police detective was working undercover and pretending to be a 14-year-old girl on a social media site, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The detective posted on the site about spring break and asked who wanted to chat with her, according to the affidavit. Ponce responded, and the two began communicating, with the detective telling Ponce several times she was only 14, according to the affidavit.
Ponce exchanged photographs with the detective who she thought was a teenage girl, the affidavit states. The detective sent Ponce a phone number where she could send the girl text messages, according to the affidavit.
Ponce started sending sexual messages to the person she thought was 14 years old, according to the affidavit.
Ponce arranged a March 31 meeting with the teen in Siloam Springs; she offered to bring the teen to her apartment for the weekend and would bring her back home after church Sunday, according to the affidavit.
Ponce discussed prostitution with the detective but did not go into details, the affidavit states.
She was arrested when she arrived at the location to meet the teenage girl, according to the affidavit.
Ponce admitted to police she discussed sexual actions with the teenage persona but said she did not know if she could do anything sexual with the persona, according to the affidavit. She also admitted sending a photograph of her breasts to the persona, according to the affidavit.
Ponce's arraignment is scheduled for 8 a.m. May 8 in Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren's court.