Photo: Steven Graves
Stone County authorities have taken a convicted sex offender into custody after he allegedly created six social media accounts and failed to register them.
According to the probable cause affidavit, 44-year-old Steven Graves, is charged with six felony counts of failure to comply with registration and reporting requirements.
On Tuesday, investigators with the Mountain View Police Department requested an officer with Arkansas Parole and Probation to ask Graves for consent to search his phone. The request was made because it was believed Graves did not disclose social media accounts he may have.
Investigators previewed Graves’ phone and discovered erased videos and files that day.
When asked why he had deleted the items prior to coming to the police department to verify his residence, which he is required to do every six months, he reportedly said he got “scared.”
Graves told law enforcement he deleted his Facebook, Facebook Messenger, KIK, Gmail account, Google drive and Hangout. He also told officers he had thumb drives and a tablet with adult material on them.
In reviewing his tablet, investigators identified an additional application Graves had not disclosed.
Investigators gathered additional evidence to be analyzed. The affidavit noted some of the sites listed are known on numerous convicted child predator cases.
Online records indicate Graves pled guilty in 2012 to a felony charge of second-degree solicited sexual assault charge. He was sentenced to eight years of supervised probation and required to register as a sex offender. No details on the charge are available in online records.
In 2016, a petition was filed to revoke Graves’ probation. At the time, records indicate his last known address was in Ward in Lonoke County. The petition was filed after Graves failed to report a change of address and a change of vehicle ownership.
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