Stories by Dale Ellis

Cleburne County man found guilty in federal court of production of child pornography A Cleburne County man on trial for production of child pornography was convicted Tuesday in federal court after a jury deliberated for nearly five hours at the conclusion of five hours of testimony fr... August 10, 2022

Trial begins for Cleburne County man accused of sexual assault, child pornography in 2020 A Cleburne County man arrested in mid-2020 on charges involving sexual assault and child pornography went on trial Monday in federal court on an indictment handed up in December 2020 charging him with... August 9, 2022

Suspected mail thief in Arkansas who led police on a high-speed chase to remain in jail, judge decides A Little Rock man indicted for theft of mail will have to stay in jail pending the resolution of his case after a federal magistrate judge ruled that he poses too great a danger to the community and t... August 9, 2022

Four Little Rock residents in mail-theft case indicted in federal court The U.S. attorney's office in Little Rock says four defendants have been indicted for their alleged involvement in stealing mail from local mail receptacles.Byrannia Burks, 20; James Miller, 26; K... August 6, 2022

Former boxer sentenced to 30 years for child pornography, sex trafficking charges A former professional boxer who fought under the name "Turbo" and was known to federal investigators as "Turbo Hefner" will spend the next 30 years behind bars after he was sentenc... August 6, 2022

Little Rock attorney pleads guilty in federal court to role in $11.5M farm program fraud scheme The sixth and final defendant indicted in a farm program fraud scheme that rerouted more than $11.5 million intended to benefit farmers who had been discriminated against pleaded guilty Thursday in fe... August 5, 2022

Little Rock fire-bombing defendant decides against taking a plea agreement in federal court Wednesday One of five defendants charged in connection with the burning of police cars during protests held in Central Arkansas in 2020 in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis the previ... August 4, 2022

England woman pleads guilty to role in farm program fraud scheme The daughter of one of four sisters indicted in a farm program fraud scheme that rerouted more than $11.5 million intended to benefit farmers who had been discriminated against pleaded guilty Tuesday ... August 3, 2022

Faulkner County man gets probation for illegal wildlife buys A Faulkner County man who pleaded guilty in December to a federal charge of importing and possessing illegally-taken wildlife was sentenced this week to three years probation and 150 hours of communit... August 3, 2022

Yell County woman who helped inmates escape in 2019 accused of violating terms of supervised release A Yell County woman who helped two men under federal indictment escape from the Jefferson County jail in 2019 was arraigned Monday on allegations she violated the terms of her supervised release condi... August 2, 2022

In Arkansas fentanyl case, judge refuses to hear pleas from 3 of 4 defendants LITTLE ROCK -- Hearings for the final four defendants in a wide-ranging fentanyl distribution conspiracy case dating from 2019 largely went off the rails Thursday in federal court after two defendants... July 31, 2022

U.S. designates 4 northern Arkansas counties in drought as natural disaster areas Four counties in northern Arkansas have been designated as natural disaster areas by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Friday on Twitter.In a letter sent to the ... July 30, 2022

Federal judge rules Rapert must turn over social media information to plaintiffs in lawsuit An atheist organization suing a state senator over claims its members' constitutional rights were violated when they were blocked from the senator's social media accounts scored a victory in f... July 29, 2022

Little Rock man sentenced to 9 years, ordered to pay $500,000 after pleading guilty to fraud charges, ID theft A Little Rock man who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and identity theft was sentenced to spend nine years in federal prison and to pay more than a half-million dollars in restitutio... July 29, 2022

In Arkansas fentanyl case, judge refuses to hear pleas from 3 of 4 defendants Hearings for the final four defendants in a wide-ranging fentanyl distribution conspiracy case dating from 2019 largely went off the rails Thursday in federal court after two defendants tested positiv... July 29, 2022

Judge orders Sen. Jason Rapert to turn over information to atheist organization An atheist organization suing an Arkansas state senator over claims its members' constitutional rights were violated when they were blocked from the senator's social media accounts has scored ... July 28, 2022

Former Pulaski Academy, SMU football player pleads innocent to sex trafficking, witness tampering charges A former star athlete who played running back for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs in the mid-1990s was arraigned Tuesday on three sex trafficking counts and one count of witness tampering.D... July 27, 2022

Benton man guilty of cocaine trafficking A Saline County man on trial for cocaine trafficking was found guilty Tuesday by a jury of seven men and five women after the conclusion of a two-day trial in federal court in Little Rock.OC Rawls, 49... July 27, 2022

Trial underway for Saline County man charged with drug trafficking A Saline County man accused of cocaine trafficking in connection with a 2019 indictment went on trial Monday in federal court, in a trial expected to last up to three days that could result in a life ... July 26, 2022

Covid precautions tighten at federal courthouse As the numbers of covid-19 cases continue to rise in Arkansas, mitigation efforts at the Richard Sheppard Arnold Federal Courthouse in Little Rock are ramping up again, although not yet to the level o... July 26, 2022

Covid precautions tighten at federal courthouse in Little Rock As the numbers of covid-19 cases continue to rise in Arkansas, mitigation efforts at the Richard Sheppard Arnold Federal Courthouse in Little Rock are ramping up again although not yet to the level of... July 25, 2022

Sentenced to prison in child porn case, North Little Rock man says arrest stopped his downward spiral A North Little Rock man sentenced to 16 years, 5 months in prison for attempted production of child pornography praised the FBI agent responsible for his arrest after a 4½-month sting operation... July 22, 2022

Little Rock man found guilty of supplying fentanyl that killed Fayetteville woman LITTLE ROCK -- After a day and a half of testimony from 10 witnesses and less than an hour of deliberation, a jury of seven women and five men found a Little Rock man guilty of supplying the fentanyl ... July 22, 2022

Little Rock man found guilty of supplying fentanyl that killed Fayetteville woman After a day and a half of testimony from 10 witnesses and less than an hour of deliberation, a jury of seven women and five men found a Little Rock man guilty of supplying the fentanyl that killed a F... July 21, 2022

Sherwood man at center of Tricare fraud scheme sentenced to 4 years A man described as the "quarterback" of a team of pharmaceutical sales representatives, physicians and patients responsible for millions of dollars in fraudulent compounding prescriptions bi... July 20, 2022

Testimony begins in overdose trial The federal trial of a Little Rock man accused of distribution of fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 33-year-old Fayetteville woman got underway Tuesday as prosecutors began presenting their cas... July 20, 2022

Jurors chosen for trial of Little Rock man accused of fentanyl distribution resulting in death The federal court trial of a Little Rock man accused of fentanyl distribution resulting in death began Monday with the selection of 12 jurors and two alternates to hear the case before U.S. District J... July 19, 2022

Pulaski County government’s solar power projects on target to provide 90% of its electricity needs Twin concerns over rising costs and climate change have prompted some county officials in Arkansas to begin moving power needs to renewable energy sources, with solar power one of the primary alternat... July 18, 2022

Saline County mother and son arraigned on federal weapons charges Friday in Little Rock The mother and brother of a capital murder suspect were arraigned in federal court Friday morning, both indicted by a grand jury on charges of being felons in possession of firearms.One of those firea... July 16, 2022

Dallas County sheriff resigns over inmate’s out-of-jail visit Stan McGahee, who has served as sheriff of Dallas County since 2015, abruptly resigned his position Monday after a federal investigation began into reports that a sheriff's office employee had tak... July 13, 2022

Pulaski County faces dilemma as justice of the peace is ruled ineligible for office but refuses to step down Residents of District 10 in Pulaski County have been left without quorum court representation, county officials say, after a legal ruling that said Justice of the Peace Kristina Gulley is not eligible... July 1, 2022

Danville man sentenced to 7 years for role in drug conspiracy directed by white supremacist gang A Yell County man was sentenced Wednesday to seven years in federal prison for his part in a large-scale drug conspiracy directed by a violent white supremacist gang operating out of Pope County that ... June 30, 2022

Bigelow man pleads guilty in federal court to production of child pornography A Perry County man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to one count of production of child pornography contained in a federal indictment handed up in 2020 that charged him with one count of poss... June 30, 2022

Fordyce man pleads guilty to child pornography charge A Dallas County man accused of possession and distribution of child pornography pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to one count of distribution of child pornography in exchange for the government... June 29, 2022

Ex-employee who bilked Arkansas child advocacy group for nearly $66,000 gets 6 months in prison NORTH LITTLE ROCK -- A North Little Rock woman who pleaded guilty to bank fraud was sentenced to six months in federal prison Wednesday and ordered to pay more than $75,000 restitution to a nonprofit ... June 27, 2022

Faulkner County man sentenced to 18 months for violating child porn parole terms A Faulkner County man sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after receiving a guilty plea in 2005 on distribution of child pornography was ordered to serve an additional 18 months in prison after th... June 25, 2022

Faulkner County man pleads guilty to child porn charges, faces 20 years in prison A Faulkner County man faces a possible sentence of 20 years in prison after he pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to one count of distribution of child pornography.Jordan Cutler, 30, of Greenbri... June 24, 2022

Ex-employee who bilked Arkansas child advocacy group for nearly $66,000 gets 6 months in prison A North Little Rock woman who pleaded guilty to bank fraud was sentenced to six months in federal prison Wednesday and ordered to pay more than $75,000 restitution to a non-profit she worked for.Seant... June 23, 2022

North Little Rock man sentenced to 18 months in gun case A North Little Rock man, indicted on federal machine gun charges in 2020 along with Louis Rockefeller, the son of the late Arkansas Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller, was ordered to serve 18 months in federal ... June 23, 2022

Hot Springs man sentenced to 15 years on child porn charge A Hot Springs man who pleaded guilty in December to one count of attempted production of child pornography berated a federal prosecutor Tuesday during a nearly hour-long statement prior to being sente... June 22, 2022

White County man implicated in drug distribution organization pleads guilty A White County man indicted as part of a wide-ranging drug conspiracy following a large-scale drug bust in north-central Arkansas last year faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison afte... June 22, 2022

U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky gives students view of job on bench Sandwiched between cases Friday in federal court in Little Rock, U.S. District Judge Lee Rudofsky presided over a different kind of hearing in which college students participating in a state governmen... June 21, 2022

222 pounds of meth in Little Rock storage facility lead to indictments of 2 men in federal court LITTLE ROCK -- Two men arrested last month after a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation culminated in the discovery of 222 pounds of methamphetamine in a storage facility in Little Rock were ... June 19, 2022

Firearms charge nets Lonoke County man 210-month sentence as career offender A Lonoke County man whose criminal record earned him status as a career offender was sentenced to spend the next 17½ years in federal prison for his guilty plea to being a felon in possession o... June 18, 2022

Faulkner County man sentenced to time served in fentanyl case; judge cites his role as father’s caretaker A Faulkner County man who pleaded guilty last year in federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl walked out of court Thursday after being sentenced to time served and ordered to c... June 17, 2022

222 pounds of meth in Little Rock storage facility lead to indictments of 2 men in federal court Two men arrested last month after a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation culminated in the discovery of 222 pounds of methamphetamine in a storage facility in Little Rock were arraigned in fe... June 17, 2022

Little Rock man indicted on federal charges after fire bombs thrown at state Capitol’s Confederate monument A Little Rock man arrested by Capitol police earlier this month on suspicion of arson at the State Capitol Building was arraigned in federal court Thursday on a two-count indictment charging him with ... June 17, 2022

2 people tied to Pope County white supremacist group get light sentences in drug, conspiracy cases Two more defendants in a long-running federal drug conspiracy and racketeering case out of Pope County were sentenced Wednesday by a federal judge, bringing the total number of defendants sentenced in... June 16, 2022

White County man pleads guilty to child enticement, gets 10-year sentence A White County man who pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor after a sting operation that led him to believe he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl for sex was sentenced to 10 years ... June 16, 2022

Two members of Arkansas white-supremacy group sentenced to federal prison in racketeering case Two defendants in the federal government's long-running drug conspiracy and racketeering case that targeted members and associates of a violent, Pope County-based white supremacist group were sent... June 15, 2022