FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A Prairie Grove man whose arrest in a women’s restroom at a Fayetteville Walmart uncovered child sexual abuse material on his phone was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison.
Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced Silas Noah Ray Smith, 22, to 108 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release, according to federal court records. Smith pleaded guilty in February to one count of receipt of child pornography. A second count, possession of child pornography, was dismissed Monday as part of his plea agreement.
The charge carried a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 20.
The Walmart arrest
According to the factual basis Smith admitted to in his plea agreement, Fayetteville police responded to Walmart on July 30, 2025, after a woman reported a man looking over the stalls in the women’s restroom. Officers found Smith locked in a stall with Jack Daniel’s wine coolers and a bottle of baby lotion nearby.
Police obtained a search warrant for his iPhone. Investigators found child sexual abuse material and messages indicating Smith wanted to buy or trade it, and determined he was using the Telegram messaging app to obtain the material.
The count Smith pleaded guilty to centers on a video he received through Telegram on or about March 25, 2025, four months before the Walmart arrest. According to the plea agreement, the video depicts the sexual abuse of two girls estimated to be between 4 and 6 years old.
From state custody to federal court
Smith was held in the Washington County Detention Center after his arrest. A federal grand jury indicted him under seal on Oct. 21, 2025, and prosecutors used a federal writ to bring him from county custody to federal court. The case was unsealed at his Nov. 13 arraignment, where he initially pleaded not guilty.
He changed his plea on Feb. 26 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christy D. Comstock.
Conditions after release
Once released, Smith will be barred from unsupervised contact with minors and from any contact with the victims in the case. Except at work on his employer’s equipment, he cannot possess or use any device with internet or photo storage capability without approval from the U.S. Probation Office, which may require monitoring software at his expense and random searches.
He must also complete sex offense-specific treatment, undergo mental health and substance abuse evaluation and treatment as directed, and is prohibited from using alcohol or marijuana, according to the court’s sentencing minutes.
No fine was imposed. Brooks ordered a $100 special assessment, and restitution will be determined later. Smith also forfeited the iPhone and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Williams prosecuted the case. Smith was represented by Federal Public Defender Kevin Lammers.
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