BENTONVILLE -- A former substitute teacher at Bentonville High School was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography.
Jacob Howard, 33, pleaded guilty to distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. The crime is punishable with a prison sentence ranging from three to 10 years. He pleaded guilty under a plea agreement reached between his attorney Bryan Vernetti and Chief Deputy Prosecutor Stuart Cearley.
Howard was arrested Jan. 17, 2016, after an investigation by the Benton County Sheriff's Office's Cyber Crime Division, according to a probable cause affidavit. Detectives, through a warrant, were able to trace a computer to Howard's address, according to court documents.
Detectives searched Howard's home and seized a laptop computer and a Bentonville School District laptop Howard had used, according to court documents.
The images found on Howard's computer were still images and videos of sexual conduct involving unknown victims ranging from 10 to 14 years of age, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren accepted Howard's guilty plea.
Howard must abide by a seven-year suspended sentence after his release from prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
Howard worked for Sub Teach USA, a Paragould-based firm the school district contracts with for substitute teachers. He worked at Bentonville High School as a long-term substitute when he was arrested.
Howard was certified in May 2014 to teach social studies to grades seven through 12, according to the Arkansas Department of Education's Educator Licensure System.
Metro on 02/14/2017