BENTONVILLE -- A Siloam Springs teen will be tried as an adult on charges he raped a 15-year-old girl, according to Monday's ruling by Circuit Judge Brad Karren.
Jeran Sorum, 18, is charged with rape, a Class Y felony, and computer exploitation of a child, a Class B felony. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sorum was arrested when he was 17, and prosecutors charged him as an adult. Patrick Lewis, Sorum's attorney, filed a motion seeking to transfer the case to juvenile court.
Karren presided over a hearing Monday and found Sorum's defense hadn't meet its burden that the case should be transferred to juvenile court.
Sorum is accused of having sex with a minor who was incapable of consent at the time because she was mentally incapacitated. The computer exploitation charge accuses Sorum of permitting a child to engage in sexual conduct and filming the acts, according to court documents.
Sorum's arrest stems from an investigation that began after a 15-year-old reported being raped at a party in Siloam Springs. The girl reported she was at a party Sept. 27, 2013, and she drank enough alcohol to become dizzy and throw up, according to a probable cause affidavit. The girl said two of her friends helped her back inside a house to shower and change her clothes, the affidavit states.
Mike Lira, a detective with the Benton County Sheriff's Office, said he interviewed more than 30 children while investigating the case.
Karren watched a video recording of the incident. Stuart Cearley, chief deputy prosecutor, objected to the recording being played in open court. However, Karren allowed the recording to be played, but he also told people in the courtroom that they could leave if they couldn't handle watching the recording.
The six-minute recording contains two males laughing. Lira identified the two as Sorum and Joseph Andrew Wall.
Lewis argued his client could benefit from the services offered in juvenile court. Lewis also questioned his client's maturity level.
Bryan Sexton, deputy prosecutor, said Sorum has had three prior cases in juvenile court. Sexton said Sorum is approaching his 19th birthday so he could only benefit from juvenile services until he reaches 21.
Sexton said Sorum also may not be required to register as a sex offender if the case is resolved through juvenile court.
Sorum's case will remain in Karren's court. His jury trial is set to begin Sept. 29. Pretrial hearings are scheduled for July 15 and Sept. 28.
Wall, 18, and Isaac Postoak, 18, both of Siloam Springs, have also been charged as adults with computer exploitation. There hasn't been a resolution in their cases.
NW News on 04/21/2015