Man acquitted in rape trial

A Horatio, Ark., man was acquitted of a rape charge by a Miller County jury Thursday afternoon.

The jury trial of Gary Lynn Bevis, 46, centered around allegations he raped a woman he met at the Electric Cowboy nightclub last year.

Bevis took the stand in his own defense late Wednesday afternoon after Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell rested the state's case. Bevis gave the jury an account of the night he met the alleged victim in the early hours of Nov. 1, 2015, which was very similar to the one given Tuesday by his accuser but with significant differences.

Bevis testified under questioning from Texarkana lawyer Kristian Young that the sex he had with the alleged victim was consensual and that he never choked, threatened or struck her as she claimed during her testimony Tuesday. Bevis, like the alleged victim, testified they met in the parking lot of the Electric Cowboy nightclub in Texarkana, Ark., as the bar was closing.

See more coverage in Friday's print and online editions.

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