WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A Johnson man has received three life sentences for three counts of rape after he was convicted on Jan. 11, according to Washington County's Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Denis Dean.
Dean Leroy Meacham, 42, was found guilty by a jury for incidents between January 2020 and April 2022 where he reportedly engaged in sexual activity with a child who was less than 14 years of age.
“A verdict of this magnitude shows that Washington County jurors will not tolerate child rapists," Dean said. "Abused children in our community should have confidence that their voices will be heard, and justice will prevail”.
Meacham's two-day trial began on Jan. 10 and concluded on Jan. 11.
Court documents, including a criminal information sheet and an affidavit for a warrant, were initially filed on April 6, 2022.
A warrant for Meacham's arrest was also issued on April 6 and was served on May 13, 2022.
On June 20, 2022, Meacham pleaded not guilty and decided to have a trial by jury. He was ordered to appear in court on October 17, 2022.
After three trial delays due to incomplete crime reports between October 2022 and August 2023, Meacham's trial finally began on Jan. 10, 2024.
Before the trial started, Meacham's attorney filed a motion to limit witnesses from the witness list provided at the pretrial hearing on Jan. 8. The motion was denied by the state, but it was eventually granted by the court on the day the trial began.
Other crime reports:
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.