AG Griffin praises his office's investigators for leadership in arrest of Kansas man on federal child porn charge involving Arkansas child

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement on the involvement of his office in the arrest of Marcus Allen Abeyta, 31, of Emporia, Kansas, on one federal count of production of child pornography involving a minor residing in Arkansas:

“Bringing child pornographers to justice requires collaboration across multiple jurisdictions including, in this matter, federal, military, and state law enforcement. Abeyta is not a member of the military, but my office took the lead on this case because the victim is the child of parents stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base.

“During our investigation, it was discovered that Abeyta is a suspect in numerous other criminal investigations involving child exploitation in other states. I thank my office’s Special Investigations Division for working closely with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on this matter.”

Abeyta was arrested on May 16 at his residence, and his cell phone was seized for digital forensic examination. The examination led to the identification of other minor victims in various parts of the country. HSI and Griffin’s office are still working through evidence to identify other potential victims.

Abeyta is currently being held in Kansas at the Butler County Jail awaiting transfer to Little Rock by the U.S. Marshals Service.

State Capitol Exhibit Focuses on History of U.S. Marshals Service in Arkansas

(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) – Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston would like to invite the public to view the latest exhibit at the State Capitol.

In this exhibit, we celebrate the United States Marshals Service, the nation's oldest law enforcement agency, and showcase a brief history of the Marshals who brought law and order to our state.

Today, the role of the Marshal Service has expanded to include security to the federal judiciary and manages the witness security program. It manages and sells seized or forfeited assets of criminals, is responsible for the confinement and transportation of federal prisoners who have not yet been turned over to the Bureau of Prisons, and is the primary federal agency responsible for fugitive investigations.

On September 24, 2014, the 225th anniversary of the U.S. Marshals Service, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Fort Smith for the United States Marshals Museum; the museum is scheduled to open on July 1, 2023.

Secretary Thurston said, "The new U.S. Marshals Museum will be a showcase for Arkansas, encouraging tourism and serving as a true educational experience for those interested in our nation's history. We are proud to partner with them on this exhibit at the Capitol."

The Secretary of State’s Office would like to thank the following for their contributions to this exhibit: David Kennedy, Curator, United States Marshals Museum; Dave Lumbert; David Turk, National Historian, United States Marshals Service; and U.S. Marshal Jeremy Hammons.

The display is located in the fourth floor gallery and will be available for viewing through August 21st.