The Arkansas State Police arrested Blytheville Police Officer David Paul Cross yesterday on charges of distributing, possessing or viewing materials depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. According to an ASP press release, the arrest came after “ASP Agents executed a search warrant at Cross’s Blytheville residence, seizing electronic devices and other evidence.”
While not confirmed by the department or other sources, WREG News 3 in Memphis also reports that Cross was fired after the Blytheville Police Department learned of his arrest and charges.
No information about this case is currently available on CourtConnect, so it is unclear at this point how many separate criminal counts Cross faces. First-time violations of the specific statute the ASP referenced, however, are class-C felonies. If convicted, Cross could receive 3 to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each charge.
Cross, 25, had been with the Blytheville Police Department for about three years. He was booked into the Mississippi County Jail on a $75,000 bond.
