Lake City Suspect Jailed on $750,000 Bond in Child Meth Exposure Case

LAKE CITY, Ark. — A Lake City suspect was jailed on a $750,000 cash-or-surety bond after investigators alleged a child was exposed to methamphetamine while in his care, according to affidavits from the Craighead County Sheriff’s Office.

Hershel Allen Walker, 52, of Lake City, is charged in one case with exposing a child to a chemical substance or methamphetamine, a Class C felony. In a second case tied to his arrest, Walker is charged with possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance not methamphetamine or cocaine, a Class D felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, also a Class D felony.

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Judge David Boling set bond at $750,000 cash or surety in the child exposure case and ordered no contact with all children. Court records provided by the user show the bond in the drug case is concurrent with the other case. Walker’s next court date in both cases is July 31, 2026.

According to the probable cause affidavit attached to the bench warrant for his arrest, the investigation began on March 9, 2026, when the alleged victim’s mother said she was preparing to take another child to school and asked Walker to pick up the alleged victim for the day. The affidavit said Walker arrived around 7 a.m. and took the child to his residence in Lake City.

The alleged victim’s mother later told investigators that nothing appeared wrong during the day, according to the affidavit. But around 4:30 p.m., after the child was returned home, she quickly realized something was not right and called law enforcement.

The affidavit said the child’s face appeared flushed, the child’s arms were stretched and locked, and the child’s pupils were dilated. The alleged victim’s mother also reported severe burns on the child’s hands that later blistered and ruptured, according to investigators.

The child was taken to NEA Baptist and later transferred to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where testing was positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine, the affidavit said.

A bench warrant was later issued for Walker’s arrest in the child exposure case.

According to a second affidavit, agents and deputies went to Walker’s Nash Street residence on March 31, 2026, to serve that warrant. Investigators said Walker gave verbal consent for officers to search the residence after being told he did not have to consent and could withdraw that consent at any time.

During the search, officers said they found a silver container holding six suspected hydrocodone pills in Walker’s bedroom. According to the affidavit, Walker told officers he bought the pills illegally from someone on the street and did not have a prescription.

Walker was then arrested and booked into the Craighead County Detention Center.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.