Wednesday, June 18, 2008

1985 - Rape victim withdraws charges because of "pressure"

Why didn't a rape victim in Perry County feel safe. Who provided the greatest protection incentive to Sheriff Ray Byrd.

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Samuel J Tilden said...

rape charge against Ronald Quinton Carden, 40, of Bigelow (Perry County) will be dropped because the alleged victim has moved from Arkansas and won't return to testify against him, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Adams said in an interview Tuesday. Adams referred a reporter's questions to Perry County Sheriff Ray Byrd. Byrd said in a separate interview that the alleged victim called the Pulaski County prosecutor's office July 3 to withdraw the charges because Byrd said she was "scared of Carden and has been getting pressure from his family as a whole.' A rape charge against Ronald Quinton Carden, 40, of Bigelow (Perry County) will be dropped because the alleged victim has moved from Arkansas and won't return to testify against him, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dale Adams said in an interview Tuesday. Adams referred a reporter's questions to Perry County Sheriff Ray Byrd. Byrd said in a separate interview that the alleged victim called the Pulaski County prosecutor's office July 3 to withdraw the charges because Byrd said she was "scared of Carden and has been getting pressure from his family as a whole.' Byrd said the woman, a former Perryville resident, didn't call him but the prosecutor's office told him about the call. Beieved in Florida Byrd added that he believes she has moved to her original home in Florida. The woman, who is in her late 40s, had reported that Carden raped her at Perryville October 23, 1984. Byrd said that earlier July 3 he had received a call from authorities in Crosby, N. D., where Carden was arrested May 20 while trying to enter Canada, notifying Byrd that extradition of Carden to Arkansas to stand trial on the charge had been approved by the North Dakato governor's office, and so Byrd could come to North Dakato to transport Carden back to Arkansas. Freed July 3 Byrd said that after he learned about the alleged victim's call to the prosecutor he (Byrd) called North Dakota and told officers to release Carden because he wouldn't be prosecuted. He said Carden, who then was freed July 3, had been held without bond at Crosby on the rape charge since his arrest, pending extradition. Byrd said the charge would be officially dropped Monday during a Circuit Court session at Perryville. The Pulaski County prosecuting attorney is the prosecutor for the Sixth Judicial District, which consists of Pulaski and Perry Counties.Adams usually handles Perry County cases. Previous case dropped Carden was convicted and sentenced to two life sentences in the September 1981 rape and strangulation death of Mildred Kay Honeycutt, 19, of Pocahontas, whose body was found in western Pulaski County. But the Arkansas Supreme Court ordered a new trial and the prosecutor's office office subsequently dropped those charges in December 1982 because of a problem concerning some of the evidence. Sheriff Byrd said the alleged victim called the Pulaski County prosecutor's office July 3 to withdraw the charges because Byrd said she was "scared of Carden and has been getting pressure from his family as a whole.'

June 25, 2008 at 6:33 AM
Anonymous said...

Why did you quit blogging?

December 9, 2022 at 12:23 PM

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