Man Charged With Raping 10-Year-Old Girl Who Is Now Pregnant
Police have arrested an Arkansas man, age 20, for the alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl who is now two months pregnant.
Cops in Wynne, Arkansas, along with the state police, began investigating the case after a local hospital notified them that they were treating the alleged victim and discovered that she was expecting. Authorities made an arrest shortly thereafter.
The Wynne PD Facebook page identifies the suspect as Justin Roshud Smith, who was taken into custody on August 29.
The suspect faces three rape counts and one count of endangering the welfare of a minor and could wind up in jail for at least 25 years if convicted on the most serious charges.
“Rape is a class Y felony punishable with not less than 10 years and not more than 40 years imprisonment, or life. Rape involving a victim of less than 14 years of age carries a minimum term of 25 years imprisonment,” a news release on the Facebook page explained.
In an initial court appearance, a Cross County judge set bond at $500,000, and the suspect is currently behind bars. He is due back in court on October 2 when he will be arraigned and given the opportunity to enter a plea on the pending charges.
In advice for other preteens who might find themselves at risk in this kind of dreadful scenario, Detective Mike Smith (no relation) of the Wynne PD told FOX13 MyFoxMemphis, that “If someone is doing something to you but you don’t think it’s right, tell a counselor or go to a parent.”
As far as the child rape arrest, the detective added that “We believe it was more than one time. He was charged with three counts… Good people — most people can’t fathom this type of behavior. Unfortunately, there’s evil people or sick people in the world.” Two other child sex crimes have occurred in the small city in the past month.
In an entirely separate case that made international headlines earlier this year, an individual was the subject of a massive manhunt in Paraguay after being charged with allegedly raping his 10-year-old stepdaughter. Police captured the man, age 42, after a 15-day manhunt, at which time he insisted he was innocent and vowed to take a DNA test. The little girl, now 11, gave birth by C-section on August 14, CNN reported. Paraguay has a strict abortion law that only allows the procedure if the mother’s life is danger. The girl’s mother, who unsuccessfully sought an abortion for her child, currently faces charges of child neglect and complicity.
[image credit: Wynne Police Department]
