RELATED VIDEO: Hindsville man charged with rape of a minor, child porn (April 2023)
BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Hindsville man was sentenced to 65 years in prison for the rapes of two minors and other sex crimes.
Roberto Fernandez, 30, pleaded guilty to two counts of rape, two counts of trafficking persons and two counts related to viewing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Fernandez entered his plea on Tuesday, Aug. 12, and was sentenced the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 13, by Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren.
He was scheduled to be tried by jury on Aug. 18, but pleading guilty allowed him to avoid a possible mandatory life sentence.
Case background
Fernandez was arrested on March 27, 2023, following concurrent investigations by the Centerton and Rogers police departments. The Centerton police began their inquiry after receiving a report that Fernandez had raped an 11-year-old girl.
During a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Benton County, the girl identified herself, bedding and other items seen in a video of the abuse. Additional reports and evidence surfaced during the investigation and a detective from the Rogers Police Department revealed that Fernandez had confessed to committing two rapes.
According to court documents, Rogers police were also investigating Fernandez for an assault in March 2023, where another girl reported being raped in her apartment.
During that investigation, police discovered additional videos depicting Fernandez engaged in sexual acts with minors. According to court documents, the abuse occurred between Jan. 1, 2022, and March 26, 2023.
Fernandez must register as a sex offender for life, complete treatment and have no contact with the victims or unsupervised contact with minors.
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