Shooting in Marianna leaves one dead, others injured

MARIANNA — A shooting in Marianna, Arkansas left one man dead and four others wounded this Memorial Day weekend.

At approximately 11 p.m. on Saturday, police responded to reports of a shooting in the parking lot of the O’Reilly Auto Parts on Chestnut Street in Marianna.

According to Arkansas State Police, the victims and their conditions as of Sunday evening are the following: Olanda Bender, 37, of Jonesboro was transported to Forrest City Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Tracy Ewans, 36, of Little Rock was transported to Forrest City Medical Center and then airlifted to UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock (UAMS). She is in critical condition.

Jerome Smith, 31, of Little Rock was airlifted to the Regional One Medical Center in Memphis. His condition is unknown.

Markel Ellis, 27, of Lexa was transported to Helena Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to UAMS.

He is in critical condition.

Jaquasia Davis, 20, of Marianna was airlifted to UAMS, where she is in critical condition.

The Marianna Police Department has asked the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division to investigate the shooting.

Olanda Bender’s body has been transported to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, where manner and cause of death will be confirmed.

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Clinton Presidential Center to host ‘Dinosaur Explorer’ exhibit

LITTLE ROCK — “Dinosaur Explorer” will open Thursday, June 8, at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave.

“We are thrilled to welcome dinosaurs back to the Clinton Center,” Stephanie Streett, executive director of the Clinton Foundation said in a press release. “‘Dinosaur Explorer’ will offer visitors a fun, interactive experience and an opportunity to learn more about these magnificent creatures. Our previous dinosaur exhibit was a visitor favorite, and we hope this new exhibit will be as well.”

Through a series of dynamic displays that feature 20 advanced animatronic dinosaurs, authentic fossil casts and highly interactive hands-on activities, visitors will learn the science behind dinosaur adaptations and understand the connections humans share with our prehistoric predecessors.

As they move through a series of vignettes, visitors will discover what modern paleontologists know about the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, and what remains uncertain.

“In addition, we will explore the connections between U.S. presidents and

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dinosaurs,” Dr. Jay Barth, director of the Clinton Presidential Library said.

“Specifically, our staff is curating a special section that highlights the Antiquities Act of 1906 and President Bill Clinton’s efforts to protect fossil-rich areas where dinosaurs once roamed. We’ll also take a look at the fascinating role of dinosaurs in the pop culture of the 1990s.”

This area of the exhibition, exclusive to the display at the Clinton Center, will feature fossils that were gifted to President Clinton during his administration as well as props from the movie “Jurassic Park.”

“Dinosaur Explorer” continue to Oct. 1. Special dinosaur-themed programming will be announced throughout the summer.

The Clinton Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mondays-Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. For more information go to bit.ly/3Myit3Z.

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Former police officer convicted in child porn case

LITTLE ROCK — A jury found former Little Rock Police Officer Eddie Scott Seaton, 55, of Cabot, guilty of receiving obscene images and possession of child pornography. The jury returned their verdict Thursday afternoon to Chief United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr., who presided over the three-day trial. Judge Marshall will sentence Seaton at a later date.

Testimony during the trial established that, on Dec.

11, 2019, a Special Agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations downloaded child pornography from someone using an IP address that returned to Seaton in Cabot. Nineteen days later, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Seaton’s residence and seized electronic devices belonging to Seaton.

A search of Seaton’s computer revealed almost 300 images of child pornography and over 120 images of obscene anime. The obscene anime depicted adults raping children and children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Law enforcement also located near Seaton’s computer stories handwritten by Seaton that described various instances of an adult female having sex with two minor boys. Those writings described many of the actions depicted in the obscene anime seized from Seaton’s computer.

“This case shows that even those who swear to uphold the law can violate it in the most despicable way,” said United States Attorney Jonathan D. Ross.

“Commerce in sexually explicit images of children is not a victimless crime, and our office is committed to protecting those most vulnerable in our community. The jury today properly held Mr. Seaton accountable for his receipt and possession of images depicting the sexual exploitation of children.”

The statutory penalty for receipt of obscene images is not less than five years and not more than twenty years imprisonment. The statutory penalty for possession of child pornography is not more than ten years imprisonment. Both offenses of conviction include a penalty of not more than a $250,000 fine and supervised release of not less than five years and not more than life.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Little Rock Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and Arkansas State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristin Bryant and John Ray White.