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Ark. recruiter charged with child pornography

JONESBORO, Ark. — Jonesboro police arrested an Army recruiter they say used a government computer and telephones to solicit sex from a 16-year-old girl he met on a high school visit.

Greggory John DeBoer, 28, is charged with felony possession of child pornography, though police said he could soon face other charges.

An official at the Craighead County jail said Thursday they had no record of DeBoer being in custody, meaning he likely paid $25,000 bond and was released after an initial court appearance.

The girl said she met DeBoer during a trip to her school in October to give students the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The two began communicating by phone and the Internet the following day, Jonesboro police Detective Ernest Ward wrote in an affidavit.

Ward said the girl’s mother asked officers to start an investigation.

The girl said DeBoer asked her for photographs of herself, first clothed and then nude, and later asked her several times to meet for sex, but she refused, Ward wrote.

Police seized three computers and three cell phones during searches of DeBoer's home and office, Ward said. Two of the phones and a laptop computer were government property, he said.

The child pornography charge stems from a nude photograph of the girl found on one of DeBoer's computers, police said.

DeBoer is due back in court Jan. 28, when he is expected to enter a plea.

At his hearing Wednesday, DeBoer said he planned to hire an attorney. Jonesboro police Detective David McDaniel said Thursday he did not know whether DeBoer had hired one.

If convicted, DeBoer could face five to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000. A judge also issued an order preventing DeBoer from contacting the girl.

DeBoer, who is married and a father, told officers he had been in the Army for 9½ years, Ward said. He has no prior criminal record.