Former Camden PD officer charged with raping minor
A former Camden police officer has been arrested on charges of rape and sexual exploitation of a minor.
According to court records, a minor victim reported being sexually assaulted by Waldron Ralph Sheppard over the course of three years. Court records are heavily redacted to protect the identity of the minor victim, who also reported that Sheppard recorded some of the assaults to be published on the Internet.
Sheppard, 30, was arrested on May 23 on 12 counts of rape and 12 counts of computer exploitation of a child.
The alleged crimes were reported to Southern Arkansas University Detective Bret McMahen on May 18, according to court records. The victim told McMahen she had been sexually assaulted once or twice a month by Sheppard for the past three years. The assaults allegedly began shortly after Sheppard had returned from a deployment with the National Guard.
The victim was assessed at Magnolia Regional Medical Center and McMahen contacted an officer with the Arkansas State Police’s crimes against children division, who forwarded the report to the Arkansas Department of Human Services, according to court records.
McMahen also obtained a search warrant to collect potential electronic evidence of the alleged assaults.
On May 19, the victim was interviewed at Texarkana Child Advocacy Center, records state, where she affirmed her previous allegations against Sheppard.
Camden Police Chief Boyd Woody said Sheppard was working for Camden PD for a short period but resigned the day before his arrest.
Sheppard is currently being held in the Columbia County Detention Center with no bond.