The Sequoyah County sheriff spoke with a Fayetteville man who is believed to have sent sexually explicit photos to a deputy in charge of sex crimes.
According to the sheriff's office, the man faces possible charges of distribution of pornography by electronic device after he texted sexually graphic photos to a phone number he thought belonged to someone he met on Craigslist.
Investigator Cindy Smith with the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office said she received a text message to her work phone number Tuesday evening (Jan. 14) from a phone number she did not recognize. Smith said she often gives out her work number to victims and suspects as part of her job.
The first message said, "Hey," according to Smith. She responded with, "Yes." The next message included a photo of a man's face whom she did not recognize and a request she send photos as well.
Smith did not send a photo and said the next message she received included a suggestive and sexually graphic picture.
"He was then notified that he was talking to a deputy with the Sequoyah County Sheriff's Office, and he started explaining that he thought he was talking to someone else," Smith said.
Smith said she told the man his actions were inappropriate because he did not know for sure who the messages were going to and he could have sent them to a child by mistake. She ordered him to call the sheriff's office to explain himself to Sheriff Ron Lockhart.
The sheriff was able to identify the man and find out why he was sending the photos, according to Smith. The sheriff has ordered the man to appear in his office before the end of the week for a formal interview about the incident.
Smith said she is providing all of the information over to the district attorney's office which will determine if formal charges will be filed.
