FAYETTEVILLE -- A Fayetteville man, who had a prior conviction for child molestation, was convicted Thursday of inappropriately touching a 12-year-old girl last fall.
Donnie Wayne Massie Sr., 57, was found guilty of sexual solicitation of a child and second-degree sexual assault. Massie was sentenced to terms of three and 14 years, respectively. The terms will run concurrently at the Arkansas Department of Correction.
"Mr. Massie, it's beyond my comprehension how and why, particularly why, people do these things with children," Circuit Judge William Storey told Massie at sentencing. "It's just terrible."
Storey called Massie's conduct depraved, despicable, horrible and disgusting.
"You'll get out of prison at some point in the future, and I'm hopeful you won't engage in this kind of conduct again," Storey said.
The girl said Massie touched her inappropriately and solicited her while the two were driving to a store. She said he also touched her inappropriately while they watched television on the couch at home.
Terra Stephenson, deputy prosecutor, said she hopes Massie's conviction will give the girl some closure so she can get on with her life.
Massie had a prior conviction for sexual indecency with a child in 2004. He was sentenced then to probation and had to register as a sex offender, according to court records.
Prosecutors and police said the acts described by the 12-year-old were almost identical to those in the previous incident, which involved a 9-year-old girl.
"It seemed almost impossible she would tell the same story as the victim in 2004," Scott O'Dell, a detective with the Fayetteville Police Department, told jurors. "I found it highly unusual."
The abuse came to light after the girl told her school counselor.
A third female, now 19, testified Massie molested her when she was 7 or 8 years old and she didn't report the abuse until she was about 14, after the statute of limitation for prosecution had passed.
Massie's attorney, Dan Ivey, argued the 12-year-old made up the allegations either for attention or to get her way.
NW News on 07/11/2014