BENTONVILLE, Ark. — A Bentonville man was sentenced to 11 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections for internet stalking a child in September 2022.
Chase Mills, 33, pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 11.
Mills was arrested on Sept. 27, 2022, after Cpl. Ron Coble with the Siloam Springs Police Department was working undercover on a social media site that is known for connecting children and older people to meet, according to the affidavit.
Court documents say Coble set up a fake account on the site as a "14-year-old female persona." Between Sept. 21 and 27, Mills interacted with the fake account.
Coble posted to the board of the fake account: "Why do boys only want to play video games sigh." Following the post, Coble received a private direct message from a user called "Bleh," which was later identified as Mills.
According to documents, the two exchanged multiple messages even after the fake account said, "I'm 14 is that OK?" Mills continued to arrange a place to meet, send inappropriate messages, and ask for a photo of the female persona, according to the affidavit.
Mills coordinated to meet the female persona at a lake in Siloam Springs on Sept. 27 to have sex. Mills was arrested and transported to the Siloam Springs Police Department. According to the court documents, police found a box of condoms in Mills' vehicle.
Mills told officials he was unsure why he continued to send messages to the female persona after she had said she was 14 years old "several times."
According to the court documents, "Mills stated he knew it was wrong to do and feels very bad and would never want anyone to do this to his daughters."
Along with his sentencing, Mills is also required to register as a sex offender and complete a sex offender treatment program.
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