BATESVILLE, Ark. — A Batesville man faces 28 felony counts after a coworker’s discovery of suspected child sexual abuse material on a cellphone prompted a police investigation.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Christopher George Davis, 54, was charged with 28 counts of pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. Each count is classified as a Class C felony. His bond was set at $200,000 by the Independence County Circuit Court.
The investigation began on August 21 when an employee at Ozark Mountain Poultry borrowed a cellphone from Davis while conducting trailer checks at work. The employee told police they found suspected child sexual abuse images in the phone’s photo gallery while reviewing work-related pictures. The employee notified a supervisor and contacted authorities, according to the affidavit.
Batesville police later obtained Davis’s phone and discovered he had an active arrest warrant in an unrelated case, the affidavit states. Davis was taken into custody on the existing warrant, though details about the related offense were not disclosed. Police reported that Davis voluntarily provided a second phone, which was also seized.
In an interview conducted on August 26, Davis reportedly admitted to investigators that he had used the app Telegram to access links to illicit material. He allegedly stated he had both sent and received explicit images of minors and had been viewing the material for approximately two years, according to the affidavit. Davis also said he believed there were more than 100 such images on his devices.
Search warrants were issued for three of Davis’s phones. The affidavit notes that investigators found child sexual abuse material on two devices, while the third contained no such files. One phone could not be digitally downloaded and was manually examined.
On September 16, a judge signed a finding of probable cause for the charges. As part of his bond conditions, Davis is prohibited from contacting any witnesses or victims and must remain within the boundaries of the 16th Judicial District unless granted prior court approval. Additional release restrictions were also imposed.
Court records did not indicate whether Davis has posted bond or when his next court date is scheduled.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.