JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KATV) — Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced the sentencing of 24-year-old Michael Edwards of Jacksonville after he pled guilty to 50 counts of Pandering or Possessing Visual or Print Medium Depicting Sexually Explicit Conduct Involving a Child.
Griffin released the following statement on the sentencing:
“On March 12, my Special Investigations Division executed a search warrant at Edwards’s home with the assistance of the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office. We seized multiple electronic devices, and forensic analysis revealed 461 files of Child Sexual Abuse Materials. Today, Edwards pleaded guilty to 50 counts of Pandering or Possessing Visual or Print Medium Depicting Sexually Explicit Conduct Involving a Child, all Class C felonies. Edwards received a sentence of 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and will also be required to register as a sex offender. Because all 50 charges fall under provisions of the PROTECT Act requiring serious offenders to serve most if not all of their time, Edwards will serve 100% of his sentence.
“I am grateful to my Special Investigations Division for their excellent work on this case and to the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the arrest. I especially want to thank Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeanna Sherrill and Assistant Attorney General Alexa Vetsch, who handled the case as the Special Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys at the request of the Prosecuting Attorney for the Twenty-Third Judicial District of Arkansas, Chuck Graham. Each time we learn of children being exploited, it is deeply heartbreaking. My office remains steadfast in our commitment to pursuing justice for these victims. If you exploit children, you will be held accountable. We will not relent in protecting our most vulnerable population and ensuring perpetrators face the full consequences of their actions.”