140 Years in Prison for Man Guilty of Heinous Acts Involving Child

JONESBORO, Ark. — A man who was accused of raping a child on multiple occasions has been found guilty and sentenced to 140 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Jonathan Micheal Hitchcock, 33, was found guilty on Tuesday, August 13 on four counts of rape and one count of second-degree sexual assault. Court records show he was sentenced to 30 years on each of the rape counts, all to run consecutively. He was sentenced to 20 years on the sexual assault charge, also to run consecutively. In total, his sentence was for 140 years. He will receive credit for 465 days served in Craighead County jail, where he has remained since May 5, 2023.

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Consecutive sentences run sequentially, one after the other. Concurrent sentences all run together at the same time.

Circuit Judge Scott Ellington presided over the case. The state was represented by Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Thomason and Prosecuting Attorney Sonia F. Hagood. The defense included William Scott Davidson and Andrew Nadzem.

The case began with one count of rape in 2023, but was amended on July 22, 2024 to four counts of rape. Then, on August 13, Hagood filed an amended complaint bringing a second-degree sexual assault charge, too.

Last year, K8 News reported a probable cause affidavit alleging the 10-year-old female victim had been raped since she was only five years old. In addition to that, the girl said Hitchcock had pleasured himself and engaged in other sexual acts.

I, along with Prosecuting Attorney Sonia F. Hagood, are deeply grateful for the jury’s service in this case. These are hard cases. They are hard to listen to, hard to process, and hard to accept that things like this happen in our community. We are so thankful that the jury endured and delivered justice for our young victim. Thanks to their service and commitment, a dangerous man will be locked away for a very long time.

We’d also like to thank our victim for her incredible bravery in coming forward and sharing her story. She had the courage to confront her abuser and helped ensure that he wouldn’t harm another child ever again. I would also like to thank all the agencies that assist in these cases: CAC, CACD, JPD, and two school counselors with Jonesboro School District. These agencies spent countless hours working on this case. This verdict wouldn’t have happened without them and we are very grateful for their dedication to keeping the children of our community safe.

– Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jessica Thomason

Thomason said the school counselors worked especially hard to meet with the victim and keep her best interests at the forefront of the case. Thomason said their efforts were “special,” and she was grateful.