Poughkeepsie man pleads guilty in cyberstalking case

BENTONVILLE — A Sharp County man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in an online sting targeting sexual predators.

Jerry Riggs, 52, of the northeast Arkansas town of Poughkeepsie, pleaded guilty Monday to internet stalking of a child and sexual indecency with a child. The plea was under an agreement Herb Southern, Riggs’ attorney, reached with Tyler Dunn, deputy prosecutor.

Riggs was arrested in May 2023.

Riggs’ arrest was part of an online sting by a Siloam Springs police detective who was pretending to be a 14-year-old girl on a website known for adults attempting to meet children, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Riggs sent the girl a direct message and she repeatedly told him her age, with Riggs saying he was risking 30 years in prison due to her age, according to the affidavit.

He wanted the girl to come spend a week with him in Cave City, about a four-hour drive from Siloam Springs, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit claims Riggs sent the girl a sexually explicit photograph.

Riggs was taken into custody without incident, and he told police he was only there to protect the girl and take her back to her grandmother, according to the affidavit.

Riggs admitted to police to sending the photograph to the girl and telling her he was going to have sex with her, the affidavit states.

Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreement and Riggs’ guilty plea. He was sentenced to 15 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Riggs will be required to register as a sex offender and complete a sex offender treatment program. The judge ordered Riggs not to have any unsupervised contact with any minors.

Riggs also agreed to a search of himself, his residence and electronic devices by members of law enforcement.

Riggs