Affidavit: Man accused of sexually assaulting children blames ‘lust demon’
Brandon Lara told police he ‘battles a lust demon,’ court documents say
By K8 Newsdesk
Published: Jun. 15, 2026 at 9:25 AM PDT|Updated: Jun. 15, 2026 at 8:40 PM PDT
IZARD COUNTY, Ark. (KAIT) - An Arkansas man accused of sexually assaulting and grooming two children told investigators he is a “hypersexual person who battles a lust demon,” court documents show.
Brandon Lara, 42, of Sage, is being held in the Izard County Detention Center on a $250,000 bond following his June 11 arrest on suspicion of second-degree sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child and sexually grooming a child.
Detectives began investigating Lara after receiving a report from two victims in April that Lara had sexually abused them in Izard and several other Arkansas counties.
Allegations span years
The victims, who are now adults, said the assaults began when they were between the ages of 6 and 15, the affidavit said.
One of the victims said Lara sexually assaulted them on multiple occasions, while the other said Lara exposed them to pornography daily and forced them to perform a sex act on him.
During a post-Miranda interview, Arkansas State Police Special Agent Tyler Webb said Lara acknowledged he had sexually assaulted one of the victims on multiple occasions. As for the other victim, Lara told Webb he was “teaching” the child.
Lara acknowledged that his actions were wrong, Webb stated in the court documents, but said he could not stop himself.
“Mr. Lara described himself as a hypersexual person who battles the ‘lust demon’ which, along with substance abuse and mental health problems, he attributed as the causes of his deviant actions with children,” the affidavit said.
Substance abuse is not how you battle demons; it only makes things worse - sin is progressive.
Search warrant executed
On June 11, ASP special agents and Izard County sheriff’s investigators executed a search warrant at Lara’s home and found “numerous items,” including “pornography plastered across the walls” and pornographic digital media, court documents said.
Editor’s Note: Due to the graphic nature of the allegations and to protect the alleged victim, K8 News has chosen not to divulge the details of the case, including the age and gender of the victim.
Affidavit: 60 devices seized, 1,700 images and videos found in Bentonville photographer's AI child abuse case
BENTON COUNTY, Arkansas — A Bentonville photographer arrested last week for allegedly using artificial intelligence program Grok to generate child sexual abuse material had done so using photos of children he reportedly took at a local school.
Russell Edward Bloodworth, 43, was arrested on June 10 and booked into the Benton County Jail on one count of possessing a controlled substance and 100 counts of distributing, possessing, or viewing sexually explicit material of a child.
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The Bentonville Police Department made the arrest, and a day later sent out a release urging the public to report if they or their families had contact with Bloodworth and his photography business, Russell Bloodworth Photography.
A probable cause affidavit has since been made public, shedding light on the allegations involving Bloodworth.
What court documents say
According to the affidavit, on June 8 police received a tip from X AI about Bloodworth, alleging that in April this year he had used the Grok program to generate CSAM.
-Police reviewed an image that appeared to be a real photo of a young girl posing for a professional shoot that was later found to be connected with Bloodworth's summer camp photography classes hosted at Thaden School in Bentonville.
Around 12 images accompanying the original one were AI generated CSAM, several of which the affidavit said were "indistinguishable from being real."
"I would have had difficulty identifying the photographs as AI generated if they were not already identified as AI," the affidavit said.
According to court documents, a reverse image search of the child in the photo found a Facebook post from Bloodworth's photography account on April 23, in which Thaden School was tagged.
Investigators found Bloodworth had access to Thaden School's photography studio, but they were unsure if he had a permanent office there.
On June 15, the Thaden School confirmed Bloodworth led a photography summer camp on campus in 2025, and was set to instruct a summer photography course again in 2026 before being arrested and removed from that position.
On June 10, detectives executed search warrants at Bloodworth's home in Bentonville. The affidavit said that while he refused to provide a statement and requested an attorney, an unnamed woman provided a statement and was interviewed by police.
Court documents said the woman was "surprised" to hear the initial tip involved Grok.
"She said she did not know Russell had a Grok account at any point and later went on to explain she had texted him an article about Grok being used to exploit children by allowing the creation of AI generated child sexual abuse material on their platform, seemingly unregulated," the affidavit said. "She said she sent him a petition to sign that was demanding law makers get involved to regulate it and prevent this type of material from being made."
Bloodworth's phone was accessed, and police discovered over 1,000 apparent CSAM images and videos, according to court filings.
"I located approximately 20 images of the victim consistent with the images reported in the CyberTip. I also located approximately 1,700 images and videos most of which appeared to be of prepubescent and pubescent females in various sexual poses, multiple videos performing sex acts, all with different degrees of nudity," the affidavit said.
According to court documents, police again said the images were so realistic they had difficulty determining if they were actually AI.
"A few of the images I observed were overtly AI, but most appeared to be so realistic, I was not confident in assessing the origin of the photos without digital forensic laboratory supported software available," court documents said.
Once the search was complete, over 60 devices were seized. Police said not all devices were immediately searched due to the large amount of CSAM discovered and the presence of encrypted apps and folders on Bloodworth's phone.
"Due to the volume of actual photos mixed in with the AI generated photos, it was apparent Russell had likely been taking professional photos of his juvenile clients and turning them into child sexual abuse images in various AI image and video generator applications," the affidavit said.
Court documents added that there were likely more child victims in the case, and investigators requested a $750,000 bond. A Benton County judge set the bond at $350,000.
Bloodworth posted bond on June 12 and was released on the condition that he wear an ankle monitor and not contact any children that are not his own.
He's also prohibited from accessing social media or AI generation applications, as well as from possessing firearms, ammunition, alcohol, controlled substances, and photography equipment.
He's expected in court next on July 20.
Former EBRSO deputy indicted on 12 counts of child sex crimes in Livingston Parish
Murrill said the case was presented to the grand jury Monday morning, and jurors deliberated about three minutes before returning a true bill on all 12 counts.
Locicero, a former deputy with the East Baton Rouge and Livingston Parish sheriff's offices, was arrested in October 2024 after a Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving minors.
The case involves two female victims, and the charges were separated by victim. Most of the charges relate to the younger victim.
“Crimes against children are among the most serious offenses my office prosecutes. Anyone accused of preying on a child in Louisiana will be pursued aggressively by my office and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No one is above the law, especially those sworn to uphold it,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.
Oregon man sentenced for sexually abusing child over 2-year period
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 38-year-old Marion County man was sentenced Monday for repeatedly sexually abusing a child who was under 12 years old over the course of two years.
According to the Marion County District Attorney's Office, Daniel Bowdoin pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree sodomy and one count of first-degree sexual abuse against the child, who was "known and close" with him.
Keizer mom says she told kids they were having sleepover before allegedly trying to kill them
The child eventually reported the abuse after "Bowdoin's manipulation was no longer effective," the DA's Office added.
After the report, Bowdoin admitted some of his crimes to family and friends in a confession letter. But he then tried to contact the victim twice.
The DA's Office further noted Bowdoin was involved in the local track and field community at the time of the abuse. Additionally, he was temporarily allowed to remain out of custody during legal proceedings, with orders to have no contact with minors or "go to places where minors congregate."
However, Bowdoin violated those orders by having repeated contact with a four-year-old and went to a company picnic where children were present. In light of this, his release was revoked.
Bowdoin was ultimately sentenced to 35 years in prison.
"This type of conduct is among the most severe that our office handles," said District Attorney-elect Brendan Murphy. "Our hearts go out to his victim, as no child should suffer this way. We hope for healing and recovery."
