A 71-year-old Prairie County man is facing 60 felony child exploitation charges following an investigation by the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
According to authorities, Arkansas State Police special agents, assisted by the Prairie County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant on June 10 at the home of Robert John Betz in the Crossroads community near Hickory Plains.
Following a forensic examination of evidence collected during the search, investigators obtained an arrest warrant.
Betz was arrested on June 30 and charged with 60 felony counts of pandering or possessing visual or print media depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
He is being held in custody on a $350,000 bond and is scheduled to make his first appearance before the Northern Circuit Court on August 11.
The investigation was conducted by the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with assistance from the Prairie County Sheriff’s Office.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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