In two sex cases, Arkansas man handed 26 years; young girls solicited online

Zachary Tyler Hulsey
Zachary Tyler Hulsey

HOT SPRINGS -- A man arrested last year in two sex cases involving teen girls was sentenced to 26 years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to felony charges in Garland County Circuit Court.

Zachary Tyler Hulsey, 20, of Hot Springs pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault, amended from an original charge of rape, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to sexual indecency with a child and was sentenced to six years, with the sentences to run consecutively.

Hulsey, who was scheduled to stand trial today, must also register as a sex offender upon his release and was permanently barred from any future contact with either victim.

Chief deputy prosecutor Joe Graham said Monday the families of both victims agreed to the plea offer made to Hulsey, who received the maximum sentence on both counts.

[EMAIL UPDATES: Get free breaking news alerts, daily newsletters with top headlines delivered to your inbox]

ADVERTISEMENT

More headlines

According to the affidavit on the original rape charge, a report was filed Feb. 4, 2016, with the Garland County sheriff's office in reference to the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

The following day, the victim was interviewed at the Cooper-Anthony Child Mercy Advocacy Center and said she had met Hulsey on Instagram. Hulsey went to the victim's house two or three times, and during his last visit in January 2016 he digitally penetrated the victim. Hulsey was 18 at the time of the sexual contact.

Hulsey was interviewed Feb. 18 and admitted to the incident. He said he did not know her age at the time, but after finding out she was 13 he told her "she was pretty and he still wanted to date her."

Hulsey was arrested April 4, 2016, and later released on $25,000 bond.

According to the affidavit on the sexual indecency charge, sheriff's investigators received a report on Nov. 2 of sexual indecency with a 14-year-old girl.

The victim was interviewed Nov. 3 at Cooper-Anthony and said she met Hulsey in 2015 and he told her he was 16 years old. She said she later found out Hulsey was 19.

Hulsey had started texting her through Snapchat a few days before the interview, asking her to send him photos of her privates. He also allegedly demanded the female have intercourse with another male and send him photos and video.

The victim said she was scared of Hulsey because "he would threaten her if she blocked him." She said Hulsey asked to meet with her when she walked her dog, but she refused and blocked him on Snapchat.

That same day, the victim's parents gave consent for a search of the cellphone. On Nov. 14, through a data extraction report, Snapchat messages from Hulsey's Snapchat account to the female were obtained. The messages showed Hulsey had asked to meet the female for intercourse and requested she send him sexually explicit photographs, the affidavit said.

Hulsey was arrested Nov. 17 and later released on $5,000 bond. He has been in custody since his arrest Dec. 20 after his bond was revoked.

State Desk on 05/03/2017

Upcoming Events