A Pea Ridge man was arrested Tuesday (June 17) at 12:40 a.m. on suspicion of rape, according to court documents.
Joshua Courtney, 31, was arrested after a victim told police that he forced her to perform a sex act, court documents state.
Police responded to a sexual assault report in the 900 block of Hickman Drive in Pea Ridge. The victim told police she was outside of her residence spending time with friends and the suspect. She later went inside to get away from the suspect and went into her room to lay on her bed. The victim told police that Courtney followed her into her room and demanded she perform a sex act, according to court documents.
That is when Courtney shut the door and forced himself on the victim. She told him to stop three times and was eventually able to push him off of her, court documents state.
Courtney left the victim’s room when he heard the other friends coming inside, according to court documents.
Those same friends told police they saw Courtney leaving the victim’s room, court documents state.
Courtney asked one of those friends for a ride home but was denied transportation, so, he left on foot, and the victim called authorities.
The authorities later found Courtney at his residence located in the 700 block of Todd Circle. Courtney told police that he was at the victim’s residence because his friend was trying to fix him up with “some girl,” but he didn’t like her, so, he left, according to court documents.
Courtney was arrested, and when police told him about the victim’s allegations of rape, he said he didn’t go into her room, even though she was trying to get him to, court documents state.
Courtney was booked into the Benton County Detention Center and faces one charge of rape.
