Thaden School: Bentonville man accused of using AI to make child sex abuse images will ...

BENTONVILLE -- A local school wants families to know a man accused of using artificial intelligence to create child sexual abuse material will not be leading any summer camps at the school this year.

"We are deeply troubled by the news regarding the arrest of local photographer Russell Bloodworth on charges related to the possession of child pornography," Thaden School spokeswoman Sam Bertoncino said via email Saturday. "Given that he has had professional interactions with members of our community, we believed it was essential to provide them with the relevant information, so we sent a communication to make them aware."

Thaden School's relationship with Bloodworth was limited to specific professional engagements, Bertoncino said. Bloodworth provided photography services for a fundraising session at the school's 2024 Community Dinner, led a photography summer camp on campus in 2025 and occasionally rented campus space for his independent business, she said.

While Bloodworth's name had appeared on a listing for a photography camp for third- and fourth-graders set to take place at the school in July, he will not be involved in that camp, Bertoncino said.

"In the best interest of our campers and families, the camp will be led by Mike Day," she said.

Day is a member of the Thaden School faculty and has extensive experience as an independent filmmaker and storyteller. "We are excited for campers to learn from Mike's creativity, professional experience, and passion for visual storytelling."

Bloodworth was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of 100 counts of distributing, possessing or viewing sexually explicit conduct involving a child and possession of a controlled substance, according to court documents. Prosecutors have not filed any formal charges against him.

He has been released from the Benton County Jail on $350,000 bail. Siloam Springs District Judge A.J. Anglin ordered he cannot have any with children except his biological children and must wear a monitoring unit.

The judge prohibited Bloodworth from accessing online social media platforms, AI image generation applications and possessing any photography equipment, according to court documents.

Bentonville police received a tip Monday related to child sexual abuse material being generated online by an account holder utilizing Grok AI, according to a news release from the Bentonville Police Department. The investigation determined the account to be registered to Bloodworth, who owns Russell Bloodworth Photography, according to the release.

A Bentonville police detective reviewed images and found a photo taken of a girl for a professional photography shoot and later identified her as part of Bloodworth's summer camp photography classes hosted at Thaden School, according to a probable cause affidavit.

The detective saw 12 images that appear to be AI-generated child sexual abuse material using AI prompts to pose and remove portions of clothing, according to the affidavit. The detective claims in the affidavit several of the images are indistinguishable from real images and he would have had difficulty identifying the photos as AI-generated if they were not already identified as such, according to the affidavit.

Police found a hidden folder on Bloodworth's cellphone containing more than 1,700 images and videos, most of which appeared to be of prepubescent and pubescent females in various sexual poses, multiple videos showing the performance of sex acts and all in various stages of dress, according to the affidavit.

"A few of the images I observed were overtly AI, but most appeared to be so realistic, I was not confident in assessing the origin of the photos without digital forensic laboratory supported software," the detective states in the affidavit.

Police seized more than 60 devices capable of storing digital evidence, the affidavit states.

The affidavit claims due to the volume of actual photos mixed in with the Al-generated photos, it was apparent Bloodworth had likely been taking professional photos of his juvenile clients and turning them into child sexual abuse images in various Al image and video generator applications.

Police are asking anyone who has been a client of the photography business and suspect they or a family member's photos may have been used to Bentonville police at (479) 271-3170 or email [email protected].

Thaden School is also directing families who have questions or concerns to the Police Department, according to Bertoncino.

"The safety and well-being of our students and community remain our highest priority," she said.

Bloodworth's arraignment is set for 8 a.m. July 20 in Benton County Circuit Judge Robin Green's court.

Chris Swindle can be reached at cswindle@nwaonline.com.