LITTLE ROCK — A Fayetteville man facing federal charges in a child-exploitation case in Arkansas is a Navy cook based in Washington, records show.
Stuart Cole Mitchell, 29, was indicted Wednesday in federal court in Little Rock on two counts of attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct and other charges of trying to obtain or send obscene material to someone under 16.
The indictment was released Thursday.
The case stems from a Web sting the Shannon Hills Police Department began in 2006, when authorities say Mitchell struck up a chat with an officer posing as a young girl.
He is the latest suspect implicated in such a setup by the 13-man department in Saline County, which has grabbed headlines for targeting suspected child predators. The department has been doing the Web stings since 2006, leading to several federal and local prosecutions.
Shannon Hills Police Chief Richard Friend says the department tries to focus on the "worst of the worst" - men who try toentice the "girls" to meet or record sexual activity.
He said Mitchell gave several indications that he intended to meet the "girl" when he returned to Arkansas.
At one point he did return to see family, but he wasn't in Shannon Hills' jurisdiction, Friend said.
In the online chats, Mitchell repeatedly asked "Stephanie" to send "naughty" pictures of herself and once asked if he could take pictures of them having sex, an FBI agent said in a search warrant filed in federal court in Washington.
At one point Mitchell also transmitted a video in which he fondled himself while wearing a vulgar T-shirt, the agent wrote.
The shirt, as well as computer equipment, recording devices and other items believed to have been used in illicit activities, were the subject of a search warrant executed in February at the Naval Base Kitsap-Bremerton in Washington, records show.
A Navy spokesman was unaware of the case Friday and was unable to find out Mitchell's status with the service.
Bu the Navy's criminal investigation unit at the base was aware of the investigationearlier this year after the FBI contacted it to get information about Mitchell, including a photograph, records show.
Typically when a sailor is indicted, the Navy can have him "administratively separated," or he could face military charges if acquitted in the federal system, spokesman J. Overton said. If the evidence is "questionable" and he is acquitted in court, a sailor could also remain on active duty, he said.
It's unclear whether Mitchell has an attorney. None is listed with court filings.
An arraignment date has notbeen set, said Jane Duke, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, where the case is being prosecuted.
Friend said he justifies spending his small department's limited resources on Internet sex stings because it prevents suspects from finding real children online.
"When I tied him up for 13 months, that was one less kid he could show those things to," Friend said.
Arkansas, Pages 7, 14 on 06/09/2008