A viral video has sparked public concern after an Arkansas father, identified as Edward Corristan, was arrested following a confrontation with officers from the Mena Police Department while attempting to report his 2-year-old son missing. The incident has raised questions about police responses to missing-child reports involving custody disputes and the use of force during law enforcement encounters.
Corristan says he had been trying to locate his son, Craig Bailey Corristan, amid an ongoing custody dispute with the child’s mother. According to his account, the mother allegedly failed to comply with a court-ordered custody exchange, leaving him unable to determine his son’s whereabouts.
The father claims that when he approached police for assistance, officers repeatedly treated the matter as a civil custody dispute rather than accepting his concerns as a missing-person case. The circumstances surrounding his attempts to file the report have become a central part of the controversy surrounding the incident.
Video circulating online reportedly shows a tense exchange between Corristan and an officer identified as Sgt. Eddie Price. The encounter escalated outside the police station, where the footage appears to show an officer deploying pepper spray and using physical force to bring Corristan to the ground before taking him into custody.
Following the confrontation, Corristan was reportedly transported for medical attention. Arrest records cited in the supplied report indicate that he was booked on allegations of disorderly conduct and interference with a law enforcement officer. The charges represent allegations, and the available information does not establish the outcome of any subsequent legal proceedings.
The incident has prompted online debate about police use of force, parental rights, and how authorities should respond when a parent reports a child missing during a custody disagreement. Questions have also been raised about the handling of Corristan’s concerns and the circumstances that led to the physical confrontation. However, the full sequence of events and any findings from an official investigation have not been independently confirmed.
Meanwhile, Craig Bailey Corristan is reported to remain listed in Arkansas’s official missing-person database, with November 14, 2025, recorded as his missing date. Anyone with credible information about the child’s whereabouts should contact law enforcement and provide relevant details directly to the authorities handling the case.
The case continues to draw attention because of the unresolved concerns surrounding the child’s whereabouts and the confrontation between his father and police. Further verified information from law enforcement, court records, or investigators would be necessary to establish the complete circumstances of the missing-person report and the subsequent arrest.