‘Sex addict’ daycare worker, 21, charged with sexually abusing nine-year-old girl, as lawyer tries to claim he is mentally unfit for trial

Asher Ellis, a 21-year-old former daycare worker in Fort Smith, Arkansas, is charged with two counts of raping a child and 100 offences involving the distribution, possession or viewing of child sexual abuse material. He has pleaded not guilty. The case has drawn attention to a dispute over whether he is mentally fit to stand trial and able to understand the alleged crimes.

A court-ordered evaluation found Ellis fit to proceed, despite diagnosing an unspecified bipolar disorder; the psychologist said Ellis acknowledged the charges and understood the criminality of his actions. Ellis reportedly told the psychologist that sexual contact with the child occurred twice, in 2024 and 2025, and described himself as a sex addict. He was arrested in December 2025, released on $100,000 bail two days later, and no court date has been set. Authorities say the allegations do not involve children at the school daycare where he worked.