Ex-pastor now faces rape charges

Anthony Waller
Anthony Waller

JONESBORO -- A former youth minister charged with 50 counts of video voyeurism earlier this year now faces rape charges related to the case, Jonesboro police said.

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Anthony Waller, 39, of Marion was arrested Tuesday on two counts of rape as part of an ongoing investigation into "a very large amount of child pornography" on his computer. Police said the children were believed to be 10 or 11.

Evidence included "thousands of images of prepubescent girls either completely nude or scantily clad," according to authorities.

Waller was arrested in Marion about 11 a.m. Tuesday, police said. Craighead County jail records show a booking time of 12:45 p.m. He was held at the jail pending a probable-cause hearing Thursday.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in May that police said Waller's wife found the images on a computer they were sharing. The computer and a confiscated hard drive produced evidence to arrest Waller on charges of video voyeurism, authorities said.

Waller, the youth minister of Jonesboro First Assembly of God since 1999, was fired two days after charges were filed.

State Desk on 11/11/2015

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