Can you get Child Support in ARkansas if you are still married, not living together but NOT legally separated?

I have a very good friend that is going through some marriage issues. He has one daughter with his wife whom he has been separated from for about a year now. There was an incident at his work where she came in screaming and wondering where their daughter was (although she had dropped the child off at his mothers house herself just hours before) She continued to screaming and then slapped him when he ignored her. He did nothing. She slapped him one last time. He proceeded to push her out of the building. HE called the police on her (they reviewed the video cameras). She went to the hospital a week later stating that she was beat up by him (not knowing he already reported the incident). The state got involved and no charges were ever filed against him. However, the state offered her FREE LEGAL aid to file for a divorce. She started the process, but states that she never pushed the divorce papers through. I am thinking this is when a LEGAL SEPARATION might have been drawn up; however he is not aware of anything and was never made to sign anything. From my research, you have to be Legally Separated in order to file Child Support on your husband. But I am thinking when she allowed the state to take over all the Legal matters they did everything at once. Because he was actually giving her more money before the child support was issued. If a separation was in fact issued. How would he go about finding out this information? And in Arkansas, if you are Legally Separated how difficult would it to go ahead and finalize it to a divorce?