BENTONVILLE -- A Level 3 sex offender was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he admitted he sexually assaulted two girls.
Aaron Paul Adams of Bella Vista pleaded guilty Monday to two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, a Class B felony punishable with from five to 20 years in prison. Adams was charged as a habitual offender so he faced up to 40 years on each count.
He pleaded guilty under a plea agreement attorney Sam Hall reached with Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor.
Jury selection was scheduled to begin today, but the plea resolves the case.
Adams, 42, was arrested Oct. 4, 2013, in connection with the sexual abuse of an 8-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl. The abuse dates back to 2011, according to court documents.
Bentonville police began to investigate after the older girl said she was abused by a then-neighbor, according to court documents.
Adams denied touching the girls in a sexual way when he was questioned by police, according to court documents. Adams said he suffered brain damage from a car accident and he takes medication for seizures. He told police the girls could have had sexual contact with him, but he couldn't remember because of his medical condition, according to court documents.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren reviewed Adams' rights with him. Adams said he understood, and he waived his rights to a jury trial and an appeal.
"Is this a voluntary plea?" Karren said.
"Yes, sir," said Adams, who was seated in wheelchair and dressed in black-and-white jail attire.
Karren accepted the plea agreement and Adams' guilty pleas.
Adams was sentenced to 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction for each count. The sentences will be served concurrently. Adams must serve one-sixth of the sentence before he will be eligible for parole.
Adams was placed on four years of state probation in December 2012 after he plead guilty to five counts of a registered offender prohibited from entering upon a school campus, a Class D felony.
He also was convicted of three counts of indecent exposure involving incidents while he lived in California, according to court documents.
NW News on 09/23/2014