FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- A Baxter County man was sentenced to 12 years in prison for molesting a 12-year-old Fayetteville girl in 2017.
Raymond Chappell, 44, of Midway pleaded guilty last week in Washington County Circuit Court to second-degree sexual assault.
Judge Joanna Taylor also handed Chappell an eight-year suspended sentence set to begin when he's release from the state Department of Correction.
Chappell, who was given 73 days of credit for time served, will have to register as a sex offender and is barred from contacting the victim.
Fayetteville police arrested Chappell on Dec. 25, 2017, after the girl said Chappell barricaded himself in her room and sexually assaulted her.
The girl said Chappell used a knife to keep the door jammed, but she managed to escape after removing the blade from the door, according to an arrest report.
Chappell initially denied molesting the girl but told police he was in her room and "possibly" exposed his penis.
He also said he could've bumped into the girl, which she might've mistaken for being molested, according to the report.