BENTONVILLE — Twelve jurors and two alternates have been seated for the trial of a former Bentonville school employee accused of sexually abusing three girls.
Ali Matar Jr., 22, of Lowell is charged with rape, a Class Y felony, and two counts of sexual assault in the second degree, a Class B felony. He previously pleaded not guilty to charges.
He is accused of sexually abusing three students at R.E. Baker Elementary. Matar worked for the Bentonville School District.
Jury selection began Tuesday morning.
The trial is expected to last two to three days.
Matar was arrested May 14.
Nathan Smith, Benton County’s prosecuting attorney, wanted to know if any of the prospective jurors would hold prosecutors to expectations that they may have as result of watching crime television shows.
Smith told the group that there would be no DNA evidence presented and then he questioned the panel about why DNA evidence is not present in all present cases.
Justin Hurst, one of Matar’s attorneys, questioned the prospective jurors about whether they believe children are capable of making up allegations of sexual abuse.
Hurst wanted to know if anyone disagreed that Matar should not be presumed innocent of the charges. “Do you feel that you need to hear from Ali Matar Jr. to make a decision?” Hurst asked.
Matar is being held in the Benton County Jail with a $250,000 bond set.
If convicted, Matar could be sentenced from 25 to 40 years or life imprisonment for the rape charge. He could be sentenced from five to 20 years in prison on each of the sexual assault counts.
Matar worked as an Adventure Club leader for the school district starting in October 2013. He was fired after his May 2014 arrest.
Adventure Club is run by the district’s Childcare Enrichment Services department. It offers child care from 6 to 7:30 a.m. and from 2:30 to 6 p.m. during the school year for students in kindergarten through sixth grade at each of the district’s elementary and middle schools.
Correction: A previous headline on this story indicated the jury had been seated while court was still working on picking alternates. The error has been corrected.