BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A former Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter employee has been sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl, the Benton County prosecutor confirmed on Friday, Jan. 20.
Hunter De La Garza was arrested in 2022 after a child abuse hotline call reported that he raped a 10-year-old girl in the bathroom of the Promenade Mall in Rogers during a "one-on-one outing" in February 2021.
In the documents, police said they reached out to the shelter director who said she had fired De La Garza after there had been "several issues." She told police that De La Garza was accused of making racist remarks to the kids at the shelter and that he had gone into the bathroom with a six-year-old to "help" even though it was against the shelter policy.
"Today, the jury gave the Defendant a life sentence for the rape of an innocent girl who should have been able to trust him. Our community owes its thanks to the Rogers Police Department and deputy prosecutors Josh Robinson and Seth Segovia for their tireless work in a difficult case," Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said on Friday.
"I hope this verdict brings a measure of healing to this survivor and serves as a warning to those who would prey on children."
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