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Central Arkansas deputy among those arrested in sex crimes sting

Posted: Sat Sep 21, 2024 7:39 pm
by Artaxerxes II
https://www.4029tv.com/article/arkansas ... t/62244013
ONWAY, Ark. — A deputy out of central Arkansas was among those arrested in an operation meant to combat human trafficking, according to court records.
Jacob S. Teel, 37, of Greenbrier, is a deputy for the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office. The sheriff there suspended Teel and plans to fire him, according to KAIT, the ABC affiliate in Jonesboro.

Teel is accused of traveling to Conway to meet up with someone he met on the internet, according to the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office. Teel thought the person was 15 years old, but was actually an undercover agent.
Teel arranged to meet the fictional girl at a hotel, according to the arrest affidavit. On the day of the meeting, he sent a message stating he couldn't meet there because he saw a deputy's car nearby. He stopped at a nearby Walmart and then went home, where he was arrested.
Teel told an investigator he never really intended to meet anyone for sex. He said he was driving home when he stopped at the Walmart to get lasagna.
Arkansas court records list Teel's charges as internet stalking of a child and traveling for the purpose of an unlawful sex act with a minor.
A judge ordered Monday morning that Teel be issued a public defender. No defense attorney was listed on court documents as of Tuesday morning.

His bond was set at $500,000, and arraignment was scheduled for Oct. 21.
“Surprise. Disbelief, really, because you don’t expect a police officer,” Cleburne County resident Jessika Deaton said, according to KAIT. “They’re supposed to serve and protect, not hurt people, you know, kids.”