A Fort Smith man accused of an Internet crime was arrested earlier this week on a separate, similar charge involving an undercover investigator posing as a minor, according to the Faulkner County sheriff’s office.
Authorities said that they traced a “suspicious online posting” back to Eddie Paul Davis, 45, as part of an investigation that began Feb. 22.
Davis had posted an online ad “looking for contact with an underage female and/or male,” using similar wording to a previous ad that led to his arrest in December, according to an affidavit.
He was arrested on a charge of Internet stalking of a child about 9:30 a.m. Monday while appearing in Faulkner County Circuit Court for a pretrial hearing on a sex-solicitation charge related to his Dec. 11 arrest.
Investigators used three undercover profiles to communicate with the ad poster who identified himself as “Eddie.”
Communication included Davis sending inappropriate photos of himself and requesting nude photos from a supposed underage girl, the affidavit reads in part.
Davis also made arrangements to go camping with the underage girl at a “remote part of Devil’s Den State Park” and agreed to supply alcohol and cigarettes to the girl “but requested sexual contact for supplying the items,” according to the document.
At the time of his arrest, Davis told authorities that it was impossible for him to commit such a crime "because he no longer possessed a computer and has been unable to get online."
Davis was booked into the Faulkner County jail about 1:22 p.m. Monday, records show. He remained jailed as of Wednesday afternoon.
A pretrial hearing is set for April 18 relating to the charge of conspiracy to commit rape dating back to December.