Jury begins deliberations in trial of former Little Rock police officer facing child porn charges

Eddie Seaton (Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette).
Eddie Seaton (Special to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette).


The future of a former Little Rock police officer accused of receipt and possession of child pornography is in the hands of a jury following the conclusion of testimony Wednesday morning in federal court.

Eddie Scott Seaton, 55, is charged in a federal indictment with one count each of receipt of child pornography, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and possession of child pornography, which carries a maximum 10 year prison term.

Chief U.S. District Judge D. Price Marshall Jr. gave the jury of nine women and three men a final set of instructions before sending them to the jury room to begin deliberations at 12:10 p.m.

Earlier Wednesday morning, Seaton wrapped up his testimony from the previous day during a tense cross-examination by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ray White.

Seaton denied downloading images of child pornography but admitted to numerous internet searches for anime images and said his interest in pornography stemmed from a lifelong interest in drawing. He vehemently denied ever accessing child pornography.

“It makes me sick, literally sick," he said. "I don’t want to see it at all."

In closing the government's case, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristin Bryant said although an ability to read minds would make her job — and the jury's — much easier, she said mind-reading wouldn't be necessary to render a verdict.

"You don't need that in this case, because the defendant put his thoughts on paper," she said, referring to story outlines found near Seaton's computer when police searched his house, two of which she said closely mirrored conduct contained in three anime drawings that formed the basis of Count 1, the receipt count.

Seaton's attorney, John Wesley Hall Jr., hit back at the prosecution's points about the notes, suggesting that rather than being found next to Seaton's computer they were photographed in his desk chair.

"It had to have been staged," he said. "It couldn't have been just sitting there waiting for someone to find it."

He said the anime drawings were insufficient to support the charges against Seaton.

"Child pornography requires real children. Those aren't real children," he said.

Hall said the theme of one of the photos — two teen boys having sex with an older woman — are a common theme in American literature and movies, pointing out such movies as "Summer of '42," "American Pie," or "Notes on a Scandal."

"It may be immoral, it may be taboo, but it is a fantasy and it's in American popular media." Hall said.

Upcoming Events