A Jonesboro man has been arrested after nearly 500 images of child pornography were found on his cloud-based storage account, according to police.
The Jonesboro Police Department said Blake Everette Randel, 34, is being held at the Craighead County jail after his arrest Friday in an investigation that began earlier this year.
Detective Brandon King said the investigation began after the Special Investigations Division Cyber Crimes Unit of the Arkansas attorney general's office received a tip March 31.
Authorities obtained warrants to search Randel's Internet accounts, later finding child porn on his personal electronic devices, King said.
According to an affidavit, the detective "found what appears to be 495 images and videos [of] prepubescent children involved in various sexual acts" in his Dropbox account.
On Randel's cellphone, police found about 130 videos and 30 images of children believed to be between the ages of 2 and 12 engaging in sexual acts, the document states.
Randel is being held on charges of distributing, possessing or viewing of child pornography and possession of drug paraphernalia. The drug charge stems from the discovery of glass pipes containing burned methamphetamine residue, police said.
Randel remains at the Craighead County jail in lieu of $10,000 bond, records show. He appeared Tuesday before District Judge Keith Blackman in his first court hearing.
State Desk on 05/25/2016