BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Additional charges have been filed against a former Bentonville youth pastor accused of sexually assaulting multiple children.
Keenan Hord, 32, was arrested on August 25 and booked into the Benton County Jail. He was initially charged with second degree sexual assault and possessing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
On September 30, Benton County Circuit Court prosecuting attorney Nathan Smith submitted a criminal information filing to the court outlining a host of new felony charges. Hord now faces all of the following:
- Sexual assault in the first degree, three counts
- Sexual assault in the second degree, five counts
- Distributing, Possession, or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child, three counts
- Sexual indecency with a child
The filing alleges that in 2020 and 2021, Hord engaged in “sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity” with multiple minors while the suspect was employed “in a position of trust or authority over the victims.” Hord previously worked at First Baptist Church in Bentonville.
According to Smith, the church contacted the child abuse hotline immediately upon hearing of allegations against Hord. The church is reportedly cooperating with the investigation and it released a statement in response to Hord’s August arrest:
We have been devastated to learn that a former employee of our church has been credibly accused of abusing adolescents during his tenure at our church. While these accusations did not come to light until after his employment ended, when we learned of them we immediately contacted our local authorities, made a report to the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline, and continue to fully support the ongoing law enforcement investigation. We are ministering to the survivors and their families who demonstrated incredible courage in coming forward. We are praying for God’s perfect peace for those who have been harmed and God’s justice for the abuse of His people.
First Baptist Church in Bentonville
According to a probable cause filing, Bentonville Police seized “multiple electronic devices” from Hord’s residence and officers also conducted forensic interviews. Conversations and video were recovered from Hord’s phone and police also obtained surveillance video of Hord inside a home.
A $500,000 cash bond was set for Hord on August 26. On September 29, the state assigned Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Joshua Robinson as the lead prosecutor in the case.
