A Benton man arrested on five felony charges in February for an alleged sexual conduct with a juvenile is back in custody and is now facing a total of 71 felony charges.
On Monday, Feb. 27, detectives with the Benton Police Department received information from the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division of a possible child abuse case. A 14-year-old female reported sexual allegations with Bruce Wayne DeVries, age 57, of Benton. The initial investigation of the allegations led to the seizure of multiple electronic devices belonging to DeVries, which led to the discovery of sexually explicit material involving underage children.
Detectives received information that DeVries had left the state, but through contact with various agencies, DeVries was taken into custody by officers in Paris, Texas. Devries was subsequently transported to the Saline County Detention Center and was charged with
- 3 counts of class D felony Video Voyeurism and
- 2 counts of class C felony Pandering or Possessing Visual or Print Medium Depicting Sexually Explicit Conduct Involving a Child.
Devries later was released from the detention center on a $25,000 sheriff’s bond.
During further investigation, Benton detectives discovered additional evidence which led to a warrant being issued for Devries arrest on
- 63 additional counts of class C felony Pandering or Possessing Visual or Print Medium Depicting Sexually Explicit Conduct Involving a Child.
Detectives also received information about another juvenile with sexual allegations against Devries, which led to additional charges of
- class Y felony Rape;
- class B felony Producing, Directing, or Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child; and
- class C felony Distributing, Possessing, or Viewing of a Matter Depicting Sexually Explicit Conduct Involving a Child.
Benton Detectives received information that Devries was traveling in Tennessee, and through contact with the Hamilton County Tennessee Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Division, Devries was located in Chattanooga, Tenn. Devries was taken into custody and transferred to the Saline County Detention Center. Devries has a $250,000 bond.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about the suspect, the incident, or similar incidents, is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send an anonymous crime tip about this incident to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on iTunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.