A man required to register as a sex offender because of child sex abuse convictions in Arkansas is being held in the Bowie County jail on a charge of online solicitation of a minor.
Jamar Antonio “Jay Polo” Ellis, 28, was arrested on the charge Nov. 24 and is being held in the Bowie County jail.
Ellis allegedly began sending sexually graphic messages Oct. 20 to a 13-year-old girl on SnapChat, according to a probable cause affidavit in the case. The girl, who did not know Ellis, said she began receiving unwanted messages from “Jay Polo” shortly after installing the app on her cell phone. The girl made Ellis aware that she is a minor after Ellis allegedly sent a message telling the girl she looked young.
Copies of some of the sexually oriented messages were saved by the girl’s mother and provided to investigators. Texarkana, Texas, Detective Cliff Harris circulated a photo to area law enforcement of “Jay Polo” and he was identified as Ellis.
Using the girl’s user name and password for SnapChat, Harris sent “Jay Polo” a message and received an immediate response which allegedly included a photo of the man’s genitals. Harris asked for a full body shot including the face and Ellis allegedly sent him a picture of himself standing in front of a mirror with his pants and underwear pulled down.
After comparing the photos from SnapChat to Ellis’ driver’s license, Harris obtained an arrest warrant.
According to the affidavit and Arkansas court records, Ellis has been convicted of sexual indecency with a child in Hempstead County, Arkansas, fourth-degree sexual assault of a child in Howard County, Arkansas, and failure to comply with sex offender registration and reporting requirements in Lafayette County, Arkansas.
If convicted of online solicitation of a minor, Ellis faces two to 10 years in prison.
