BENTONVILLE (KFSM) -- A battalion chief with the Centerton Fire Department on Monday (Jan. 7) pleaded not guilty to raping an underage girl.
Jordan Dallas Thompson, 34, is charged in Benton County Circuit Court with rape, engaging a child in sexually explicit conduct and distributing, possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
His next hearing is set for Feb. 19. Thompson, who was placed on administrative leave, is free on a $75,000 bond.
The City Council suspended Thompson without pay and benefits during a scheduled meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 8). The City Council said they will revisit the issue at a planned meeting in March.
Thompson was arrested in November at the fire department after the Benton County Sheriff's Office received a copy of a Facebook conversation between Thompson and the girl.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said the conversation included a video containing child exploitation images, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The girl, whose current age wasn't listed, told investigators that Thompson began a sexual relationship with her when she was 15, according to a probable cause affidavit.
She said Thompson touched her and she didn't know what to do, adding that Thompson tried to make her "feel like she was supposed to want it," according to the affidavit.
She said she tried to convince Thompson the sexual contact wasn't normal and blocked him on Facebook.