Man arrested in connection with child exploitation
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BELLA VISTA, Arkansas (KFSM) — A Bella Vista man was arrested Thursday (Jan. 28) in connection with child exploitation.
According to court records, John Douglais Marbes, 87, of Bella Vista has been charged in connection with distribution, possession or viewing of sexually explicit child material, a Class C felony.
On Thursday, Bella Vista Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division conducted a search warrant at Marbes’ home. The warrant was issued following a tip to Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The information provided from NCMEC included a reverse image search via Bing of a known flagged image. After investigation of the IP address where the search originated and other information, it was discovered the search originated from an AT&T account belonging to Marbes.
Computer forensic investigators from the Bentonville Police Department assisted Bella Vista investigators during the search with previewing devices capable of storing digital data.
The initial investigation led to the discovery of a large quantity of child exploitation material.
According to records, Bella Vista Police do not believe any children were harmed within the area of Marbes’ residence.
Marbes is currently being held in the Benton County Jail where he is awaiting a bond hearing.
His court date is scheduled for March 8.
Bella Vista Police detectives will continue the investigation on this case.
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