Man sentenced to 11 years in prison for attempting to entice a minor for sex

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    FAYETTEVILLE, AR (KFSM) — A Northwest Arkansas man will serve more than 11 years behind bars for attempting to entice a minor for sex.

According to court records, Eric Butler, 46, was sentenced Tuesday (Dec. 15) to 135 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole followed by 20 years of supervised release on one count of Attempted Enticement of a Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity.

Court records state that in September of 2019, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Arkansas State Police, and several local law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation to target online sexual predators in Northwest Arkansas.

As part of the operation, undercover law enforcement investigators placed multiple advertisements on various online websites and mobile applications representing themselves to be minors.

On Sept. 25, 2019, Butler responded to a Craigslist advertisement and began emailing and texting with an undercover law enforcement officer who was posing as a 13-year-old female.

According to court records, over the course of two days, Butler exchanged several emails with the 13-year-old persona, in which he discussed having sexual intercourse with the purported minor.

Butler arranged a meeting with the purported 13 year old for a sexual encounter and was arrested upon arriving at the predetermined meeting location.

Butler was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2019, and entered a guilty plea in August of 2020.

Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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