ASP CID ARRESTS BENTON MAN
ON 22 FELONY COUNTS OF CSAM, RAPE, AND CHILD GROOMING
May 6, 2025
BENTON, Ark. — On Friday, May 2, 2025, Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation (CID) Special Agents arrested Brian Keith Cooper Jr., 28, of Benton, for 22 felony counts of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Rape, two counts of Second-Degree Sexual Assault, and one count of Sexual Grooming of a Child.
An investigation began in December 2024 after multiple cyber tips linked CSAM activity to Cooper’s cell phone and devices associated with the Turtle Creek Fire Department, where Cooper was employed.
On Wednesday, April 29, 2025, law enforcement agents with ASP, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Saline County Sheriff's Office served search warrants at a home on Timberlake Drive in Benton and the Turtle Creek Fire Department.Cooper, a former Haskell Police Department officer, was decertified in May 2022 by the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
He is being held at the Saline County Detention Center on a $300,000 bond. The investigation is ongoing.
ASP ICAC UNIT ARRESTS TWO CHEROKEE VILLAGE RESIDENTS
ON CHILD EXPLOITATION CHARGES
May 8, 2025
CHEROKEE VILLAGE, Ark. — Special Agents from the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit arrested two people from Cherokee Village in connection with multiple crimes against children.On March 13, 2025, ICAC Special Agents arrested Jesse Wilson, 34, following the execution of a search warrant that stemmed from a cyber tip received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Wilson faces 40 felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and Possession of Firearms by Certain Persons. He is a Level 3 registered sex offender.In a connected case, agents arrested Rebecca Huffmaster, 30, on May 5, 2025, on two felony counts of Conspiracy to Commit Rape of a Child Under 14 and two counts of Sexual Grooming of a Minor.
Wilson and Huffmaster are being held at the Sharp County Detention Center. The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are anticipated.
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY RULES
FATAL OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN FAULKNER COUNTY JUSTIFIED
May 8, 2025
CONWAY, Ark. — Twentieth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Carol Crews has determined that the use of lethal force by law enforcement in the March death of Joseph Blair, 41, of Faulkner County, was justified.On Thursday, March 6, 2025, the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) issued a BOLO for Blair, who was wanted for absconding from the Arkansas Department of Corrections (DOC) and was considered armed and dangerous.
The FCSO and U.S. Marshals tracked Blair throughout the day.Around 6:30 p.m., a DOC K-9 team located Blair, who was armed with a firearm, in a wooded area near the Solomon Grove Baptist Church in Faulkner County. DOC officers opened fire, fatally striking Blair.
The Faulkner County Coroner pronounced him deceased at approximately 8:30 p.m.FCSO requested that the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigate the shooting. ASP CID prepared an investigative file and submitted it to the prosecuting attorney.In a letter to ASP dated April 21, 2025, Crews said that the use of deadly force was consistent with Arkansas law.“Mr. Blair was armed with a deadly weapon, and after telling the officers he would shoot them, he brandished a weapon,” Crews wrote in her letter. “The evidence in this case shows, by his own words, an intent on the part of Mr. Blair to engage in a deadly shootout with law enforcement. The actions taken by law enforcement were justified under Arkansas law, and no further action will be taken by this office.”
ARKANSAS STATE POLICE INVESTIGATING FATAL SHOOTING IN DES ARC
May 9, 2025
DES ARC, Ark. — On Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at approximately 9:15 p.m., the Des Arc Police Department (DAPD) requested the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division to investigate a death that occurred in the 300 block of South 15th Street in Des Arc.
DAPD officers responded to a 911 call at the residence and found Teri Overton, 60, of Des Arc, suffering from a gunshot wound.
Overton later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
The deceased will be transported to the Arkansas State Crime Lab to determine the cause and manner of death.
