CHILD PORN: Little Rock Officer Eddie Seaton Pleads Innocent

CHILD PORN: Little Rock Officer Eddie Seaton Pleads Innocent

A Little Rock police officer who faces federal charges of possession and reception of child pornography pleaded innocent on Monday following his arrest.

Eddie Scott Seaton Sr. has been relieved of duty but will continue to receive a paycheck until an internal investigation is complete, according to a Little Rock police spokesman, officer Eric Barnes.

Seaton, 52, joined the department in March 2007. He is a resident of Cabot, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison Bragg.

Authorities say Seaton's residence was searched and devices seized during a Dec. 30 raid involving the Little Rock Police's tactical team, the FBI and personnel from other local law enforcement agencies. The search and seizure warrant was the result of a joint investigation by the department's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the FBI, police said in a statement announcing Seaton's arrest on Monday.

Seaton, who was placed on administrative leave in the aftermath of the December raid, was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals and Little Rock Police detectives after a federal grand jury indictment was handed up Friday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

In the statement announcing Seaton's arrest, Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey said, "I am sadden[ed] that an officer within our LRPD family is accused of this crime; however, I am encouraged our detectives and federal counterparts presented evidence and other facts throughout their investigation to hold this person accountable."

Barnes declined an interview request for Humphrey and said the chief would not be offering additional comments on Seaton's indictment.

During a brief appearance Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Ray, Seaton pleaded innocent to two charges: receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

Both Seaton and his attorney, Robert Newcomb, wore street clothes to the unscheduled hearing, with Seaton dressed in blue jeans and a blue T-shirt.

No details of either charge were read aloud because Newcomb waived a reading of the indictment, but Ray told Seaton that the receipt charge, the more serious of the two charges, exposes him to five to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Ray also scheduled a detention hearing for 3 p.m. Thursday, after Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bryant told the judge that the government wants Seaton to remain in custody pending trial. Ray granted the request but told Seaton that he can present witnesses at his detention hearing to show that he should be released pending trial.

Judges decide at detention hearings whether a defendant poses a danger to the community or is likely to flee. In either case, the defendant must remain in custody.

According to an indictment that was handed up Friday by a federal grand jury and unsealed late Monday afternoon, Seaton received child pornography on Dec. 18, and on Dec. 30, he knowingly possessed and accessed to view at least one image of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment didn't contain any other details.

Barnes, the police spokesman, said the internal investigation will review Seaton's conduct and make a determination as to whether he violated rules and regulations. Barnes could not offer a timeline on when the investigation might be completed.

On Seaton's paid status, Barnes noted that the department is required to follow due process for an officer's internal status. When the investigation is complete, the department may suspend or terminate Seaton depending on its findings and the determination of the chief, Barnes said.

Barnes said he could not comment on the decision to search Seaton's residence with a tactical team.

Records on Seaton held by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette under state open records law do not indicate any previous disciplinary actions against him.

Seaton's training history report states that he has no criminal history.

However, a copy of Seaton's internal affairs file with the Little Rock Police Department was not immediately available as of press time.

In 2014, The Associated Press reported that Seaton was treated for smoke inhalation after assisting residents during a fire in Little Rock's Hillcrest neighborhood.

--Joseph Flaherty, Linda Satter