Batesville man sentenced to 26 years for rape conviction in Fayetteville

Above: Taylor Jones (Image: Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

A Batesville man has been sentenced to 26 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after being convicted of two counts of rape following a jury trial in Washington County Circuit Court.

According to a release from Fourth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter, Taylor Jones, 31, was found guilty Thursday after a two-day trial presided over by Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor. The charges stemmed from allegations that Jones sexually abused a minor between 2007 and 2013 while they lived in the same home in Fayetteville. The victim, who later moved to Florida, reported the abuse to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in January 2023.

Investigators, with assistance from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office in Florida, obtained a recorded phone call between the victim and Jones during which he admitted to the abuse, according to court testimony and documents.

After hearing testimony from the victim and reviewing the recorded confession, the jury returned a guilty verdict and recommended a 26-year sentence. Judge Taylor accepted the recommendation and imposed the sentence immediately.

Jones must serve at least 70% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole and will be required to register as a sex offender.

“Once again today, jurors in Washington County have demonstrated that they will not tolerate this kind of behavior, even when it is disclosed several years later,” Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter said in a statement. “I am proud of the bravery shown by the victim in reporting the defendant’s behavior and for testifying in trial this week.”

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Jonathan Dixon and Hannah Bell and investigated by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from authorities in Florida.