Attorney General Griffin Announces Arrest of Jacksonville Man on Child Pornography Charges
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued a statement regarding the arrest of Xavier Antonio Simmons, 22, of Jacksonville on 150 counts of distributing, possessing, or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
“Thanks to a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) which came through the Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, Special Agents from my office’s Special Investigations Division executed a search warrant at Mr. Simmons’ home on June 3 with the assistance of the Jacksonville Police Department," Griffin said. "I am grateful for the combined efforts of the ICAC Task Force, my agents, and Jacksonville Police to take this man into custody. I am also grateful for the tip provided to NCMEC and encourage all Arkansans who may have knowledge of this kind of heinous crime to pass that information along. It truly takes a team to protect our children from exploitation.”
Simmons was booked on June 3 into the Pulaski County Regional Detention Center, where he is currently being held without bond.
To make a report to NCMEC’s CyberTipline, visit https://report.cybertip.org.
About Attorney General Tim Griffin:
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023. He previously served as Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023 and as representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District from 2011-2015. During his congressional tenure, he served on multiple committees including Ways and Means, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Ethics, and Judiciary while also serving as Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin has been an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for over 27 years and holds the rank of colonel. His military service includes mobilization as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell and deployment with the 101st Airborne Division in Mosul, Iraq. He currently commands the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans.
His previous roles include Commander of various legal operations detachments and Senior Legislative Advisor at the Pentagon. He earned a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.
Griffin's civilian career includes serving as U.S. Attorney for Eastern District Arkansas; Special Assistant to President George W. Bush; positions within U.S Department of Justice; Senior Investigative Counsel for Government Reform; Associate Independent Counsel; among others.
A graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, Tulane Law School in New Orleans, with further education at Oxford University; Griffin is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). He resides in Little Rock with his wife Elizabeth and their three children.
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