A northwest Arkansas man was arrested after police found his child in a hidden closet compartment that was nailed shut while they were assisting state officials who were trying to take custody of the minor, authorities said.
Jon Thompson, 40, of Tontitown, was arrested Friday and accused of endangering the welfare of a minor, first-degree false imprisonment, interference with custody, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of body armor, the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
He has not been charged yet, a DA's spokesperson said.
The child is 5 years old, NBC affiliate KNWA of Rogers reported.
Tontitown police released body camera video of the discovery as they were working with Arkansas Department of Human Services personnel to secure custody of Thompson’s child, a partly redacted incident report said.
The 22-second video shows a man in overalls and a backward hat kneeling in a closet. The man ducks under shirts hanging in the closet.
A voice can be heard saying, “Baby,” “baby.” Voices are also heard on the video saying, “Hey, sweetie,” as the man appears to open the hidden compartment.
The closet compartment was hidden and nailed shut, according to the incident report.
“Jon moved some boxes and then had to pull a board that was nailed to the wall to get access to a small space behind the closet wall,” the incident report said.
“Jon admitted to concealing … inside the compartment so DHS would not take custody,” it said.
Thompson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
The representative for the prosecutor’s office said no attorney was listed for Thompson, who was issued a $5,000 bond, which was posted Sunday. He is scheduled for arraignment Dec. 4.
According to a police report, Thompson initially did not allow authorities to enter the home Wednesday. He produced paperwork indicating that he had been awarded custody of the child on Oct. 24, the report says. Officers then presented Thompson with documents that said the state had been granted an order of custody, the incident report said.
The report did not include details about why the state had been awarded custody of the child.
The Department of Human Services oversees the Division of Children and Family Services. A spokesperson for DHS declined to comment Tuesday.