A Fayetteville man identified as Mario Thompson, 26, was arrested on suspicion of rape after a victim said he raped her when she was between the ages of nine and ten, according to court documents.
An officer spoke with the victim’s mother in response to a delayed rape report. The mother stated that her daughter had been raped by Thompson when she was nine years old, the court documents state.
The mother said she used to work with Thompson, and she trusted the suspect with her daughter.
The victim stated during an interview with authorities that Thompson raped her on two separate occasions between 2007 and 2008, according to the court documents. She also said that she was between the ages of 9 and 10 when the rape incidents took place.
The victim explained that Thompson would sometimes pick her up and take her to the Jones Center in Springdale to swim. Before the first rape incident took place, Thompson told her to go with him into the family changing room so she could change into her swimsuit. It was there that he locked the door, and the victim said he raped her, even after she tried to push him away and told him to stop, the court documents state.
Thompson told her not to tell anyone about the incident, or they would both get into trouble, according to court documents.
A second incident occurred at the same location. This time, the victim’s brother was with her and Thompson, so, Thompson waited until the brother went to play basketball, and he raped her in the family changing room again, the court documents state.
Thompson was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Monday (May 5), and he faces one charge of rape.
