A 66-year-old Texarkana man was sentenced to 10 years in an Arkansas prison Monday after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a mentally disabled woman.
James Frederick Kelly appeared with Managing Public Defender Jason Mitchell before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom at the Miller County courthouse. As part of a plea bargain, Kelly pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault and received a 10-year prison term. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell, who is not related to Jason Mitchell, handled the case for the state.
Kelly was a "lifelong" family friend who was aware of the intellectual limitations of his victim, according to a probable cause affidavit used to create the following account. Kelly took the woman, then 23, to get food from a Waffle House restaurant in Texarkana the morning of June 12, 2016, before taking her to his son's house in Texarkana, Ark.
The woman told investigators that when Kelly's son left the house, Kelly took her into a back bedroom and forced her to have sex with him. The woman, described as having the mental age of a 5-year-old in the affidavit, reported that Kelly took her cell phone away from her and threatened her. Kelly allegedly gave the woman $30 before dropping her off at a local church.
The woman told her mother of the abuse and a sexual assault examination was performed at a local hospital. Samples of DNA collected during the examination were a match to Kelly.
Upon his release from prison, Kelly must register as a sex offender. Kelly was taken into custody at the end of his court appearance Monday. He had been free on a $50,000 bond.