Fort Smith Times

A Smackover, Arkansas man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography. The sentencing took place on March 19, 2025, under the supervision of Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey at the U.S. District Court in El Dorado.

Court documents reveal that Eric David Ponder, aged 46, used an online peer-to-peer program to download child pornography onto two electronic devices. The illegal activity was initially detected by an Ozark Police detective monitoring Ponder's use of the program. Subsequently, a search warrant executed by El Dorado Police detectives and FBI agents led to the discovery of the devices used by Ponder.

Ponder had a prior conviction in 2014 for distributing and possessing sexually explicit material involving a child in Benton County, Arkansas, which resulted in a five-year sentence in the Arkansas Department of Correction. At the time of his federal offense, he was already registered as a sex offender.

In March 2024, Ponder was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas and later entered a guilty plea in September 2024.

U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes from the Western District of Arkansas announced the sentencing outcome.

The investigation involved collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, El Dorado Police Department, Ozark Police Department, and Smackover Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Devon Still and Trent Daniels prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States government.

This case falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.