An Arkansas woman who pleaded guilty late last month to trying to frame her estranged husband for child pornography and the alleged rape of their teenage daughter will get probation in the case but is required to register as a sex offender.
Cherie Renee Bolton, 34, of Siloam Springs, pleaded guilty June 25 to distribution, possession or viewing of child porn and filing a false report with a law enforcement agency, according to Benton County court records. As part of a plea deal, she agreed to serve six years of supervised probation.
She must also pay more than $2,000 in fines and court fees, records show.
Bolton must serve the entire six years of probation.
Court records show that Bolton went to the Siloam Springs Police Department on May 24, 2017, two days after her husband kicked her out of the family’s home, and met with a detective about allegations that her husband had been sexually assaulting their then-13-year-old daughter. Bolton told the investigator she had entered the girl’s bedroom two weeks earlier to put away laundry and caught him having sex with the teen.
“C. Bolton stated she waited to report the incident because she was afraid of S. Bolton, who assaulted her the day after she saw him having sex with S.B.,” an arrest affidavit states.
Bolton claimed her husband struck her in the ribs, leading her to believe they were broken, the document says. Investigators offered her medical attention, but she declined.
A detective looked at Bolton’s ribs but saw no visible signs of injury.
Bolton also told investigators that her husband had told her about six weeks earlier, while they were having sex, that he wanted to find several young girls to impregnate, the affidavit says.
Detectives interviewed the Boltons’ 13-year-old daughter, along with her 11-year-old sister, and both girls denied any sexual abuse and said they felt safe with their father. Bolton’s husband also denied any sexual contact with his children.
In addition to the rape claims, Bolton showed investigators a black LG cellphone that held several images of “obviously underage” girls involved in sex acts, the affidavit says.
A forensic investigation of the images indicated they had been downloaded on May 23 -- the day after Bolton was forced to leave the home she shared with her husband and children.
Read the entire probable cause affidavit for Cheree Bolton's arrest below.
Cherie Bolton Arrest Affidavit by National Content Desk on Scribd
Both Bolton and her husband were interviewed separately on Sept. 29, 2017, at which time her husband denied any knowledge of the child pornography on the phone his wife had given detectives. He also said he was not missing a phone, court documents say.
Bolton also denied knowledge of the images and said she did not remember reporting them or the alleged sexual abuse.
“C. Bolton stated she was made aware of the allegations by S. Bolton but could not recall the events happening or reporting them,” the document states.
Bolton was next interviewed in December, at which time she told detectives she didn’t believe her husband would sexually abuse their daughter. She again denied knowledge of the pornographic images on the cellphone in evidence.
She told investigators she and her husband had gotten into a physical fight at the time her husband kicked her out of the home and said she could not see their children, the affidavit says. Bolton said she moved into a hotel room with a man she’d met on Craigslist.
When she moved in with the man, she began using methamphetamine, according to the records.
Detectives asked Bolton if she had downloaded the child porn onto the cellphone.
“(Bolton) stated she did not and she ‘would not know where to look’ for child pornography,” the affidavit reads. “(She) stated she needed to take her anxiety medication and Detective Adams advised her she was free to do so if needed.”
After taking her medication and moving with detectives to a larger interview room, Bolton eventually admitted she downloaded the images because she was angry with her husband for trying to keep her from seeing their children, the document says.
“C. Bolton stated she was using ‘dope’ and in the middle of a manic episode,” the affidavit states. “C. Bolton stated she downloaded the pictures because she was upset with S. Bolton for trying to keep her from her kids even though she had realized that was what was best for them.”
Bolton said she downloaded the images at the hotel after her husband had showed up there and they’d had an argument.
A warrant was obtained for Bolton’s arrest on Jan. 17, 2018. She was arrested five days later.
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