Bella Vista man suspected of having child porn
A Bella Vista man’s laptop computer had nearly 1,500 files of child pornography on it, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Michael Preston Withers, 56, was arrested Jan. 27 after an investigation in connection with distributing, possession or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, according to the affidavit.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a sexually explicit image of a child had been shared on the messaging application Chat-step, according to the affidavit.
Investigators traced the IP address of the account used to share the image to Withers’ home. Withers told police he often sees pornography — including some child pornography — during his online chat sessions but said there “shouldn’t be” any child pornography on his laptop computer, according the affidavit.
Withers, who was streaming pornography from his laptop to his television when police served the search warrant, declined to disclose his online username or whether he had ever uploaded any images, according to the affidavit.
A forensic examination of Withers’ laptop computer revealed 1,483 sexually explicit files — including still images and video — of minors ranging in age from 2 to 14 years old, according to the affidavit.
Withers’ bond was set at $20,000 Jan. 29. He no longer was listed as an inmate at the Benton County Jail on Friday. His arraignment is set for March 6 in Benton County Circuit Court.