Bentonville man sentenced to 10 years in prison

 Chandler Chandler
Chandler Chandler

BENTONVILLE -- A judge sentenced a Bentonville man Friday to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography.

Chris Chandler, 53, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, a Class C felony punishable with a prison sentence ranging from three to 10 years on each count.

The plea was to the court, so Chandler's punishment was up to Circuit Judge Brad Karren. Sentencing began Thursday. Chandler was arrested May 22, 2008.

Capt. John Hubbard with the Bentonville Police Department said 50 to 60 images of child pornography were found on Chandler's computer. Hubbard showed and described several of the images to Karren.

Bob Chandler said he would support his son if Karren imposed probation as punishment. Bob Chandler said his son suffered a heart attack, and had a blood clot in his leg that resulted in a leg amputation last year.

Chris Chandler's wife, Janet, also testified on his behalf. The two married June 8, 2013. Janet Chandler said they were high school sweethearts at Bentonville.

Janet Chandler said her husband has had 20 surgeries -- 14 in a one-year period -- since 2011. Janet Chandler also said she didn't believe her husband would survive in prison.

"I wouldn't give him four months," she said.

Doctors told her husband he only has five years to live and anything over that would be a gift, Janet Chandler said.

Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor, described the images as photographs of rape. Cearley recommended Chandler be sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Louis Lim, one of Chandler's attorneys, told Karren the punishment should fit the crime. Chandler's crime is possessing the images, but Chandler had no role in producing or distributing the images, Lim said.

Lim wanted Karren to place Chandler on state-supervised probation.

Karren sentenced Chandler to 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. Chandler will have to serve one-sixth of the sentence before he's eligible for parole. Chandler must abide by a suspended-sentence agreement for four years after his release from prison. He'll be required to register as a sex offender.

"There are murderers that got less time than this," said a crying Janet Chandler. "You know it."

Chris Chandler was taken into custody and taken to the Benton County Jail.

NW News on 01/24/2015

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