After a two-day trial, a Little River County, Ark., jury found Joseph Bowman, 29, of Ashdown guilty of raping an 11-year-old mentally challenged girl and sentenced him to 25 years in prison.
"We believe he targeted this little girl because she is mentally challenged. He (Bowman) was interviewed and told the officers she was not all there and started laughing," Prosecutor Bryan Chesshir said.
"When she (victim) walked into the courtroom to testify, she was clutching a stuffed animal. She had hair over her eyes and was peering out from the hair like she was hiding behind a wall. It was sad to watch. I'm glad we were able to get justice for the little girl," Chesshir said.
"She (victim) did her best on the stand for her being mentally challenged," he said.
The trial started Wednesday in the Little River County Circuit Court in Ashdown. The trial ended with a guilty verdict and the jury of seven men and five women sentencing Bowman Thursday to 25 years in prison, according to Little River County circuit clerk documents.
The rape charge is a Class Y felony with a potential sentence of 25 to 40 years in prison. Bowman will have to serve at least 18 years before he is eligible for parole, Chesshir said.
The rape occurred Dec. 6, 2017, in a house outside of Ashdown.
The 11-year-old girl said Bowman had oral sex with her.
Her mother took her to the sheriff's department for an interview in Ashdown regarding the alleged sexual incident.
The girl was also interviewed at the Arkansas Crimes Against Children in Texarkana and she accused Bowman of forcing her to have oral sex.
On Dec. 6, 2017, Bowman was given a voice stress test at the Howard County Sheriff's office by Investigator Blake Eudy.
The charts he reviewed regarding the stress test said Bowman was being deceptive.
During the interview, Bowman admitted the girl did perform oral sex on him on one occasion.