LITTLE ROCK—A Beebe man was sentenced yesterday afternoon for production of child pornography. United States District Court Judge Lee P. Rudofsky sentenced Joshua Sweat, 30, to 25 years in federal prison.
In April 2019, police in Allen, Texas, notified the Little Rock Police Department that they had located messages between an individual they were investigating in Texas and Joshua Sweat, who lived in Arkansas. In the messages, Sweat stated he was caring for a “little boy” each day and began sending nude images of the child, who appeared to be approximately three years old.
Law enforcement located and interviewed Sweat, who told them he babysat locally and had access to small children. Sweat confessed to law enforcement that he had images of child sexual abuse on his phone that included children under the age of 10 engaging in oral and anal intercourse. Sweat also admitted to taking photos of the victim and texting them to others.
Sweat was indicted in May 2019 and pleaded guilty in May 2022. In addition to the prison term, Sweat was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release following his imprisonment. The investigation was conducted by the FBI; the Allen, Texas Police Department; and the Little Rock Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kristin Bryant.
