Two area men made first appearances in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday in unrelated cases involving inappropriate sexual contact with young girls.
Edward Vanscoy III of rural Mountain Home pled not guilty to a rape charge filed against him after investigators followed up on allegations that a 12-year-old girl had been raped by Vanscoy in June of last year.
Vanscoy already faces charges in two other cases involving inappropriate sexual contact with underage females.
The victim in the latest charge told investigators that she had been at Vanscoy’s home late at night and that he had come into the room where she was staying and that he had forced himself on her. She said she knew Vanscoy and had “hung out” with him on prior occasions.
The girl said she had made unsuccessful attempts to fight Vanscoy off but was unable to prevent the alleged attack.
The allegations surfaced when the victim’s mother took her to the Baxter County Health Department for a screening to determine is she had a sexually transmitted disease. It was then that the victim made the rape allegation against Vanscoy and the Crimes Against Children Division of the Arkansas State Police became involved.
The girl’s underwear had been kept sealed in a plastic bag after the incident and DNA evidence found on the garment was eventually matched to a DNA sample obtained from the 19-yearly Vanscoy. According to court records, the match to Vanscoy could also be a match to any male related paternally to him.
In addition to the rape charge, Vanscoy also faces five counts of sexual assault and charges of sexual indecency with a child in cases filed earlier.
He is an inmate in the Baxter County Jail with bond set at $100,000. Judge Gordon Webb ordered Vanscoy to reappear in the newly filed rape case on March 23rd
In the second case, the now 21-year-old Kristopher Drzka of Mountain Home pled not guilty to sexual assault stemming from an incident at a local park during the summer months in 2015. The victim, who was 14-years-old at the time of the incident, approached law officers with her allegations this month, according to the probable cause affidavit in the case.
She said she had been at the park with a friend and Drzka who she did not know. She said around dusk, the mutual friend left the area and she agreed to remain with Drzka until someone came to pick him up. She told investigators that Drzka pinned her against a gazebo and make inappropriate sexual contact with her.
She said she bit him several times in the struggle and that when he finally let go, she ran home.
According to court records, Drzka told investigators he had been at the park with his cousin and that after the cousin left, he began “coming on” to the victim which led to the inappropriate sexual contact.
Drzka told investigators that the victim had bitten him three times — twice on the chest and once on the neck. He said the bit to the neck “hurt enough” to cause Drzka to let the victim go.
When questioned about the incident, Drzka was in the Baxter County Detention Center on unrelated charges including third degree domestic battery.
Judge Webb ordered Drzka to reappear in Circuit Court on February 2nd.
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