Royal man sentenced to 10 years in prison on child porn charges

Michael Paul Hamel - Submitted photo
Michael Paul Hamel - Submitted photo

A Royal man arrested last year on felony child pornography charges after a lengthy investigation by Hot Springs police that began in December 2019 was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to 10 counts.

Michael Paul Hamel, 30, who lists a Dome Lane address, appeared in Garland County Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to 10 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, and was sentenced to the maximum of 10 years on each count, all to run concurrently.

He will have to register as a sex offender upon his release and was also ordered to pay a $250 sex offender fee.

Hamel, who lists no prior criminal history, was arrested on April 21, 2021, and was released on a $25,000 bond on June 9. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on July 19 and was set for a disposition hearing Monday after a couple of delays.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on Dec. 12, 2019, HSPD Lt. Duane Tarbet was assigned a case from the Arkansas State Police Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, of which he is a task force agency member, based on a cyber tip generated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The tip was in reference to a hotline report from MeWe, a social media app located in California. According to the report, an account with the username "cvsyoung" had uploaded two images of "child abuse sexual material."

Through a lengthy investigation and after issuing multiple subpoenas and search warrants, Tarbet was able to identify Hamel as a suspect. On Feb. 28, 2020, detectives executed a search warrant at Hamel's then-residence on Fairwood Circle.

Hamel admitted to using the MeWe app to exchange child pornography and stated he has viewed child pornography for several years, with "his attraction being 9-year-old females," the affidavit said.

He informed detectives any illegal images would be found on his personal cellphone. He noted he had deleted other images off his other computer devices several months earlier. Five electronic devices, including his LG cellphone, were seized from the residence pursuant to the search warrant.

A forensic extraction of the cellphone was later completed and Tarbet was able to view the extraction and locate several photos, more than 30, of girls under the age of 14 "in various states of nudity."

The photos found were "consistent with child abuse sexual material in violation of state and federal laws," the affidavit states. It was also noted the other devices were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for further analysis.

A warrant for Hamel's arrest was issued on April 16 and he was taken into custody five days later.

Upcoming Events