Paragould man receives 90 years in rape, sexual assault case
PARAGOULD – A man will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty in a 2023 rape and sexual assault case, according to prosecutors.
John Lang, 33, of Paragould was found guilty Dec.
17 on two counts of rape of a minor under the age of 14 and one count of sexual assault.
He was sentenced to 70 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections in the case. According to a media release from Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood, Lang was also sentenced to an additional 20year sentence for sexual assault and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
Authorities said four minor victims testified at trial that Lang had abused them over several years.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Watts said prosecutors worked hard on the case and will continue to do so on similar cases. 'We will never stop fighting to protect rape victims in Greene County and the entire Second Judicial District. This verdict sends a loud and clear message to the community and we thank the jury members for their service.'
Lang was arrested by Paragould police in June 2023 after an investigation by Paragould police. Officials said the Arkansas Department of Human Services had received a referral from Paragould police in reference to the victims – ages 9, 13, 15 and 16. The victims told authorities that Lang had sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said.
Watts said the victims 'displayed great bravery' by testifying in the case and that the verdict was 'a direct result of their remarkable courage.'
Deputy Prosecutor Adam Butler also commended police and child advocates for their work on the case as well.
'I want to thank our law enforcement partners and child advocates, especially Detective Sergeant Jacob Higdon, the Paragould Police Department and Investigator Jamie Moore of the Crimes Against Children Division of the Arkansas State Police for their investigation, hard work and support. Their commitment to seeking justice for victims of child sexual abuse is extraordinary,' Butler said.
In addition to Butler and Watts, Deputy Prosecutor Bradley McBride also prosecuted the case.
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Task Force:'Overdose death investigations have become priority'
SEARCY — The Central Arkansas Drug Task Force is made up partly by five Searcy Police Officers. Lt. Todd Wells said he spoke with one of them, Task Force Officer Lauren Sexton and she helped provide information regarding fentanyl arrests and overdoses from 2021-2024.
Sexton said “At the beginning of 2021, we started seeing a dramatic increase in overdoses and overdose deaths.
By the end of 2021, fentanyl had become an epidemic in our small area of Arkansas.
We have had to adapt to the crisis and we now find ourselves focusing mainly on fentanyl investigations due to its deadly nature.”
The Arkansas Fentanyl Enforcement Accountability Act of 2023 included a new charge of “aggravated death by delivery,” according to Sexton. This became active in the state of Arkansas in April of 2023. Those convicted, she said, face a sentence of 20 to 60 years or life.
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Sexton said that overdose death investigations have become priority.
“The impact that fentanyl has had on some of the family members of overdose death victims that we encountered while working these cases has driven us to work even harder to locate dealers of this poison. What we have seen, through our investigators, is that fentanyl impacts not only the persons addicted but their entire families. The CADTF will continue to make arresting fentanyl dealers, and removing this poison from the streets, a top priority.”
In 2021, there were 36 overdose saves, 6 overdose deaths and 0 overdose related arrests. In 2022, there were 20 overdose saves, 4 overdose deaths and 1 overdose related arrest.
In 2023, there were 26 overdose saves, 7 overdose deaths and 6 overdose related deaths. In 2024, there were 18 overdose saves, 5 overdose deaths and 4 overdose related arrests. Wells said those overdose saves are a result of the Searcy officers, the Searcy firefighters, White County deputies and NorthStar EMS providing lifesaving Narcan in their roles as first responders. “We’ve been provided Narcan through grants,” he said.
On December 3, 2024 The Central Arkansas Drug Task Force (CADTF) began investigating the fatal fentanyl overdose of a 34 year old Searcy resident.
As a result of the investigation, Regina Elliot-Stokes was arrested for Aggravated Death by Delivery and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
This case is under investigation and additional charges are expected.
All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
