A Boone County man has been arrested on a rape charge for a relationship he had with a 13-year-old girl. Being held in the Boone County Jail is 19-year-old Elijah James Barnicle-McCallum of Harrison.
According to the probable cause affidavit from the Harrison Police Department, the investigation began when the victim’s father reported the crime.
The following day, Barnicle-McCallum was arrested on unrelated charges and was brought in for questioning. He denied having sex with the victim. He said she told him she was 17, but he later learned from others she was actually 13. He says he contacted the girl’s father through Facebook Messenger who verified she is 13.
Later that same day, the investigator received a phone call saying Barnicle-McCallum wanted to talk again. This time he admitted to having sex with the victim. He told the investigator he was scared to tell the truth the first time, but since a letter from the victim to him had been found, he came forward. In the letter, the victim claimed to be pregnant by Barnicle-McCallum. Barnicle-McCallum says they only had sex one time before he found out she was 13.
The victim’s father a few days later gave police cell phones belonging to both his daughter and Barnicle-McCallum. Investigators found messages between Barnicle-McCallum and the father asking about the girl’s age. There were many messages between the victim and Barnicle-McCallum, including images and videos, exchanged after he knew here actual age.
The victim was interviewed and told police the two did not have sex before Barnicle-McCallum knew her real age, but did eight times afterwards.
Rape is a class Y felony, the most serious crime in Arkansas not punishable by the death penalty.
Barnicle-McCallum is being held in the Boone County Jail with bond set at $10,000.
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