BENTONVILLE -- A former youth minister was formally charged with sex crimes involving four children.
Keenan Hord, 32, of Centerton is charged with eight counts of sexual assault; three counts of distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child; and sexual indecency with a child.
He pleaded innocent to the charges Monday at his arraignment before Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green.
Hord could be sentenced up to 216 years in prison if convicted of each of the charges.
Hord worked for First Baptist Church in Bentonville. He was arrested Aug. 24. He's being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond in the Benton County jail.
Bentonville police received a tip through the Arkansas State Police child abuse hotline Aug. 19, according to a news release from the Bentonville Police Department.
James Boothman, a Bentonville detective, testified at Hord's August bond hearing that police served a search warrant and seized several electronic devices. Boothman said police had spoken to six victims and identified up to 30 possible victims with an examination of Hord's cellphone.
Bentonville police Sgt. Josh Woodhams testified at the bond hearing he examined a cellphone belonging to one of the boys that revealed a romantic and sexual relationship between Hord and the boy. He said there were 5,000 conversations on the phone between Hord and the boy. Woodhams said police located a half-million text messages on the phone. As many as 30 boys had conversations with Hord, Woodhams said.
Joshua Robinson, senior deputy prosecuting attorney, said it's possible more charges could be filed against Hord.
Hord's next court appearance is set for Nov. 29, and the case is assigned to Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren.
Hord has served on the staffs of at least two Southern Baptist churches, most recently First Baptist Bentonville, where he joined the staff in 2016 and became student pastor in 2018, according to Baptist Press, the news service of the Southern Baptist Convention.