Trial set for man accused in drugging, rape

A trial date has been scheduled in Little River County for a Texarkana, Texas, man who is accused of raping and introducing controlled substances into the body of another person.
The trial date will be Nov. 14 for Brady Owen Pessel, 21, with a Nov. 1 pretrial hearing date. The hearings will be in the Little River County Courthouse in Ashdown.
Both are Class Y felonies and carry a potential sentence of 10 to 40 years in prison or life, if convicted.
The incidents were investigated by Little River County Sheriff Department Capt. David Hall.
The female victim said she had brought Pessel to her residence in Ogden, Ark., and put blankets in her living room for Pessel to sleep when they arrived at her home.
The arrest affidavit states she had two full glasses of wine with Pessel. He insisted she finish her second glass of wine.
The woman said after finishing her second glass of wine, she started feeling drowsy and sick, according to the affidavit.
She said she blacked out and remembers Pessel starting to remove her clothes, the affidavit states.
When the woman woke up, Pessel was allegedly having intercourse with her, according to the affidavit.
The woman also remembers Pessel putting pills in her mouth and handing her something to drink, making her swallow the pills, the affidavit states.
A roommate arrived at the home about 11 a.m. and said the victim was nude and the room was a disaster.
The victim went to the Little River Memorial Hospital in Ashdown and took a 12-panel drug screen.
The drug screen tested positive for cocaine, opiates, amphetamines, methamphetamines and benzodiazepines.
The victim said she was allergic to opiates and would not take them willingly.
Pessel remains in the Little River County jail with a $100,000 bond.