BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) – Two men were arrested in a sexual assault case involving a 15-year-old Benton County girl, deputies say.
Michael G. Parson, 25, was booked into the Benton County Detention Center on Dec. 28 at 3:36 p.m., according to jail records. He faces a charge of fourth-degree sexual assault, jail records state.
Tony Bridges, 19, was booked into the Benton County Detention Center on Dec. 24, according to an arrest warrant. He faces a charge of sexual indecency with a child, according to jail records. He bonded out on Dec. 25, jail records state.
On Dec. 13, deputies received a call stating that an intoxicated 15-year-old girl was on her way to Mercy Hospital in Rogers, according to court documents. While being transported there, the teenager said she had been raped by her former boyfriend at his home, court documents state.
After the 15-year-old was released from the hospital, she was interviewed by an investigator. She told the investigator that on Dec. 12 Parson took her to the home of her former boyfriend, Bridges, in Centerton, to get one of her shirts back, according to court documents.
While there, Bridges pushed her on top of his bed and had sex with the teen against her will, court documents state. She told him “no” and tried to push him off of her, but he was too strong, according to court documents.
The investigator asked if she had told anyone else about the incident, and she said, “no,” court documents state.
She told the investigator that on Dec. 13, the teen had “consensual” sex with her boyfriend, Parson, according to court documents.
On Dec. 15, a detective with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office went to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri and had an interview with Parson (he had been arrested once on suspicion of DUI and another time on an unspecified charge), court documents state.
He admitted to having sex with the teen in Benton County and said he had been dating her since November, according to court documents.
Parson also told the detective he knew the teen’s age, and he had permission to date her from the teen’s mother, court documents state.
“It should be all good because her mom knows we are dating. It is up to her mom,” Parson said.
He was later extradited to Arkansas and booked into the Benton County Detention Center, according to jail records.
Parson’s bond has been set at $2,500, jail records state. His next court date is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2015, according to jail records.
