Man arrested for alleged sexual assault of juvenile
A Hot Springs man was arrested Wednesday on felony charges for allegedly groping and taking photos of an 11-yearold girl he reportedly admitted stemmed from a physical attraction to her.
Milton Harvey Peebles III,
56, who lists a
Britt Lane address, was taken into custody just after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and charged with second-degree sexual assault, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, and distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, punishable by up to 10 years.
He remained in custody Friday in lieu of $30,000 bond, and is set to appear Aug. 29 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, Hot Springs police spoke with a woman on May 16, 2016, who alleged her daughter, who was 11 years old at the time, had disclosed to her that a known suspect, identified as Peebles, had been grabbing her buttocks while hugging her, in exchange for candy.
That same day, Detectives Kenny May and Nate Rines spoke with Peebles at his residence, after he agreed over the phone to meet with them.
During the conversation, Peebles reportedly admitted to purposely touching the girl’s buttocks while hugging her. The affidavit states he allegedly admitted he had developed a physical attraction to the young girl over the course of the four years he had known her.
Peebles also allegedly admitted to taking pictures of her in a bathing suit for the purpose of masturbating to them.
The exact date of sexual contact was unknown, but the allegations were first made in May 2016. The affidavit notes an extended amount of time has elapsed between the victim’s disclosure and the preparation of the warrant. This was reportedly caused, in part, by May awaiting the return of potential forensic evidence from the Arkansas Crime Lab.