FAYETTEVILLE — A registered sex offender was taken into police custody Friday after police said he kidnapped a 3-year-old girl at Walmart and sexually assaulted her in the bathroom.
Brandon Wayne Hutson, 22, of 300 Fink Drive Apt. C in Springdale faces felony charges in connection with rape and kidnapping.
According to a preliminary arrest report, the child’s mother reported the assault to Fayetteville police about 5 p.m. The woman said she lost track of her child while shopping in the toy section of Walmart, 3919 North Mall Ave. She said her 5-year-old son told her a man had taken his sister.
Within 10 minutes, the woman said her daughter ran back and found her. The little girl reportedly said a man carried her into a bathroom and raped her.
Walmart video surveillance revealed a white male carrying the child into a bathroom. Five minutes later, the video showed the girl exit the bathroom, with the man behind her.
Officers canvassed the area and learned a man matching the suspect’s description stopped at a business nearby. He was reportedly with a woman, who identified herself as Hutson’s fiancee.
An investigation revealed Hutson was a registered sex offender living in Springdale. He was arrested on April 16, 2007, for attempted child molestation, according to the police report.
About 9 p.m., Springdale officers responded to a call at the Springdale Walmart for a suspicious person trying to help a little girl find her mother. Police identified the man as Hutson. He was arrested at the scene and transported to the Fayetteville Police Department.
Hutson told investigators he went to Fort Smith earlier that day to take a polygraph test to assess what level sex offender he would be registered as.
After returning from Fort Smith, Hutson said his fiancee dropped him off at the Fayetteville mall while she went shopping. Hutson said he walked to Mall Avenue Walmart to “kill time,” but he had no plans to buy anything. While walking around the store, he said went to a bathroom near the toy section. When he came out, he saw a boy and three little girls. Hutson said the oldest girl asked him to take her little sister to get a drink of water.
He denied assaulting the girl, but later told police he went to help her use the restroom. He said he began masturbating in the stall next to her when he heard a “yelp.” Hutson said he went to check on the girl, at which point she ran into him, causing him to accidentally have sex with her. He said he then pushed the girl away and told her it was time to leave.
After the incident, Hutson said he and his fiancee took a transit bus to their apartment in Springdale. Hutson said he asked if she wanted to walk around a nearby Walmart. Hutson said he ran into a 10-year-old girl at the store who had lost her mother. He said he tried to follow her through the store, but lost track of her. He questioned employees at the store about her whereabouts, at which point they called police.
Hutson was being held in the Washington County Detention Center without bond Saturday. He’s expected to make his first appearance in Washington County Circuit Court on Monday.