FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) — A Level 2 sex offender revived eight years probation earlier this month for abusing an 11-year-old girl after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
Jason Vinson, 42, pleaded guilty July 6 in Washington County Circuit Court to one count of second-degree sexual assault. Vinson was initially charged with rape.
Judge Mark Lindsay also barred Vinson from any contact with minors without prior approval from his probation officer. He faces up to 20 years in prison if he violates any conditions of his probation.
The victim’s family was part of the plea negotiations and agreed with the sentencing, according to the Washington County prosecutor’s office.
Vinson was arrested in October 2017 after the girl told authorities Vinson had raped her and forced her to touch him when she was 8 and 10 years old, according to court documents.
Vinson served four years in the state Department of Correction for molesting a 10-year-old girl in February 2009.
According to the state Sex Offender Assessment Committee, Level 2 sex offenders are described as moderate risks and typically have a history of sexual offending.
The committee assigns offenders to one of four levels based on a risk assessment process: Level 1: low risk; Level 2: moderate risk; Level 3: high risk; Level 4: sexually violent predator.
There are more than 11,000 registered sex offenders living in Arkansas, according to the state crime information center.
The most recent data show 567 registered sex offenders living in Washington County, while 547 were listed for Benton County.
