BENTONVILLE (KFSM) — A Bella Vista man convicted for sharing nude photos of a teenager could have his charges dismissed if he complies with his sentencing requirements.
Kenneth Matthew Deason, 18, was convicted last month in Benton County Circuit Court to one count of voyeurism and one count of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
Judge Brad Karren sentenced Deason to 90 days in jail and six years probation.
Deason’s guilty plea was deferred under Act 346, which allows non-violent, first-time offenders to have their record expunged if they complete their probation.
Karren also ordered Deason to have no unsupervised contact with minors and barred him from violent contact with the alleged victim.
Deason owes more than $1,500 in fines and court fees. He will have to register as a sex offender and be screened for sex offender treatment.
Deason was arrested Feb. 28 after the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Deason shared nude photos he took of a 15-year-old girl with a man in Washington in exchange for child pornography, according to court documents.
In return, the man sent Deason several illicit photos of underage girls.
Investigators said Deason took photos of the girl without her knowledge and shared the pictures through Kik in a group called “Pedo,” according to court documents.
Kik is popular in part because of the anonymity it provides users, and roughly 40 percent of American teens used it in 2016, according to the New York Times.
