BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. – A cop who was originally charged with 35 counts of possessing child sexual abuse material was sentenced to a fraction of the time that the prosecutor requested on Thursday.
David Paul Cross, 26, of Blytheville, entered a guilty plea this week to 19 counts of distributing, possessing, or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child. The sentencing was left up to Judge Scott Ellington, who sentenced Cross to 36 months in community corrections. Cross was also sentenced to ten years Suspended Imposition of Sentence (SIS).
Cross was arrested on March 12, 2024, by Arkansas State Police after a search warrant for electronic devices was executed at his home. At the time, he was an officer with the Blytheville Police Department. The department fired him immediately.
Facing three to 10 years on each charge, Cross could have been sentenced up to 190 years, had he been given the maximum consecutive sentence. Prosecutor Sonia F. Hagood requested 57 years, which was three years per charge. Cross would have been eligible for parole after nine and a half years.
Instead, the maximum sentence Cross will face is three years. He will be eligible parole after serving one-sixth of the sentence, meaning six months.
Clearly, the prosecution disagreed with the sentence.
“I highly respect Judge Ellington and the position he holds,” Hagood said to NEA Report. “It is not easy to make sentencing decisions.
“At the sentencing hearing, the State fought for a 57 year sentence. I wholeheartedly believe that is the appropriate sentence for the crime.”
Although the state sought a much higher sentence, the judge’s decision was in line with the sentencing guidelines set by Arkansas lawmakers. Source: Arkansas Sentencing Commission
Cross had no criminal history, making his criminal history score 0, according to the sentencing guidelines. He could have been sentenced to community corrections or even probation. Judge Ellington sentenced him to 36 months in the Arkansas Department of Correction, a sentence that is, technically, higher than the presumptive sentence.
Just not high enough, according to the prosecutor, who had hoped for 36 months on each of the 19 counts, all to run in consecutive order. The sentence would have been an upward departure from the guidelines, with the prosecutor arguing as much in a motion filed this week.
Cross will also be required to register as a sex offender as part of his sentence.
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Not nearly enough time. But, it should be enough for someone to show him what all about sexual abuse. They will probably seclude his sorry ass though!
So this “cop” got 3 years, but the guy pretending to be a 15 year old online got 30 years. Make it make sense!