The charges against a 21-year-old Gassville man accused of drugging and raping a juvenile were dropped by the state after the victim’s family said they did not want to put the girl through the ordeal of a trial.
The family moved out-of-state after the incident and made it clear to prosecutors they would not return.
Dustin Brandenburg appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday and heard that his charges were being dismissed.
He was arrested after Gassville police responded to a disturbance call at a residence in late July last year.
The parents of the victim said she and another juvenile had reportedly gone to Brandenburg’s residence to watch movies.
He is alleged to have sent one juvenile home, leaving him alone with the other.
The parents told authorities they became worried and went to Brandenburg’s home to find their child.
They reported finding Brandenburg and the juvenile in a bedroom.
The juvenile’s clothing was reported to be “disheveled,” and the teen was said to be acting, “very out of it and lethargic.”
The victim was transported to Baxter Regional Medical Center where a rape kit and drug screening were conducted.
The drug screen found evidence of the tranquilizer Xanax in the victim’s system.
When Brandenburg was questioned, he allegedly admitted having sex with the victim, but claimed the juvenile took the Xanax willingly.
He said he had taken the drug out of a family member’s prescription bottle earlier in the day.
The victim said Brandenburg had provided her with a glass of what she called “special tea” that had a sour taste.
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