BENTONVILLE — A Bentonville man was sentenced to six years in prison for exposing another person to the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and for drug charges.
Joseph Frank Blackmon, 24, pleaded guilty Monday to exposing another person to HIV, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.
The plea came under an agreement Scott McElveen, Blackmon's attorney, reached with Samuel Martin, deputy prosecutor.
Blackmon was arrested Oct. 9. A parked vehicle drew the attention of a Cave Springs police officer. The officer approached the vehicle and learned two men were inside, according to court documents.
Blackmon surrendered a needle stashed inside his sock and he told the officer he was HIV positive, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Both men confirmed they had sex inside the car. Blackmon later told the officer he had not told his partner about his HIV status.
Blackmon told the officer that he learned about a year earlier that he was HIV positive from the California Health Department in Bakersfield, Calif.
Martin told Circuit Judge Robin Green that Blackmon knowingly exposed the other person to HIV. Blackmon also possessed methamphetamine and a syringe, Martin said.
Martin told Green that the victim was aware of the plea.
Green accepted the plea agreement and Blackmon's guilty plea.
Blackmon was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Correction. He also must abide by a suspended sentence agreement for six years after his release from prison.
Blackmon received 180 days of jail credit for the time he spent in the Benton County Jail awaiting trial. He must pay $1,995 in court costs. Blackmon must be evaluated for substance abuse issues while in prison or at Ozark Guidance when he is released from prison.
NW News on 04/08/2014