A woman was raped near Devil's Den State Park on Saturday night (May 31) while camping with her children, authorities say.
William “Billy” Osburne, 39, of Morrow was arrested Sunday after the victim said he helped her get her horse trailer unstuck and refused to leave before raping her, according to a probable cause affidavit from the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office.
A park representative said the incident occurred in the Ozark National Forest outside of the state park.
The probable cause report states the incident happened at Cedar Flats off of Arkansas 220 “just across the metal bridge past the horse camp.”
Lissa Leggore, a mother of four, said she has been camping for six years.
"It's very shocking to hear that, kind of upsetting too, because you kind of get into a sense of feeling safe in a place like this," Leggore said. "I've never felt like I was in any danger, other than some drunken people partying too loud on the weekend. That's really it."
Rachael Kohtz, another mother camping in the area with children, said she has never worried about her family's safety while camping.
"I'm more worried about snakes and spiders and things like that than I am of an attack," she said.
In the incident, authorities said there was not enough of a cellular signal to call 911, but campers did manage to get a text message out for help.
Monte Fuller, Devil's Den superintendent, said there are pay phones in the park to aid in the safety of campers. There are no plans to install emergency call boxes in the park, so Fuller said his biggest advice for campers is to always have an emergency plan.
"Think about emergencies that may occur and plan for them," he said. "Also it's important to have a method of communication."
Osburne faces charges of first-degree terroristic threatening and rape, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He was released Monday (June 2) from the Washington County Detention Center on a $50,000 bond. Osburne's arraignment is scheduled for July 2.