Prosecutor: Man sentenced in Crawford County to 80 years for rape, sexual assault

Kyler Swaim
·2 min read
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ALMA, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A man has been convicted and sentenced in Crawford County to 80 years in prison on rape and sexual assault charges, according to prosecutors.

Billy Lemon, 36 (Courtesy: Crawford County Jail)
Billy Lemon, 36 (Courtesy: Crawford County Jail)

Billy Lemon, 36, was sentenced to 40 years on a rape charge and 20 years each on two second-degree sexual assault charges, according to Crawford County Prosecutor Kevin Holmes.

An arrest affidavit said that Lemon “engaged in multiple acts constituting sexual contact” with a minor between November 2014 and July 2021.

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The victim said in a 2021 interview they were with Lemon at a car wash in Alma in his car when he started inappropriately touching them.

They told Lemon multiple times to stop, but he continued and claimed it was the child’s fault, according to the affidavit.

The victim said other incidents between them and Lemon followed the incident at the car wash. In each of those, they were under the age of 14, the document said.

Another minor came forward during the investigation and disclosed multiple sexual contact incidents involving Lemon, the affidavit said.

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In a social media post on Friday, Holmes said the Alma Police Department investigated the case.

“Six brave victims testified about the horrible things that ‘Uncle Billy’ did to them — three of the incidents happening in Crawford County,” Holmes said in a Facebook post. “Lemon had built trust inside this family and destroyed countless lives with the abuse.”

The Alma Police Department responded to the verdict on Friday in a social media post.

“We here at the Alma Arkansas Police Department are extremely proud of the victims and their families in this case that bravely faced their abuser and told their stories,” the department said in the post. “The City of Alma and Crawford County are a safer place tonight.”

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