TEXARKANA, Ark.–A jury in Miller County this week recommended a 205-year combined sentence for a Texarkana man who was found guilty of eight felonies, including three counts of rape, involving a girl who was around 10 years old when the abuse began.
Daryl Brent McDaniel, 43, who goes by Brent, was convicted Thursday of three counts of rape, four counts of second-degree sexual assault and a single count of indecency with a child. The jury assessed 40-year terms on each of the rape counts, 20-year terms on each of the counts of sexual assault and five years for indecency. Circuit Judge Brent Haltom followed the jury’s recommendation that the terms be stacked for a sentence totaling 205 years, court records show.
Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell told TXK Today on Friday that “We are very grateful to this Miller County jury for listening and believing this young lady as she bravely faced her offender to recount the sexual abuse she endured as a child.”
“This sentence sends a message to the community that sexual abuse of a child will be harshly punished,” Mitchell said. “I hope this will encourage victims of sexual abuse who have remained silent to come forward. You will be heard.”
The sexual abuse occurred at a duplex in Texarkana, Arkansas, where McDaniel once lived with the girl and her mother, according to a probable cause affidavit. The abuse was reported in 2021 when the victim was 14 and occurred during 2015 and 2016.
During the proceedings, a certified facility dog was allowed into the courtroom while the victim testified. According to a motion filed by Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell, “the presence of the certified facility dog may reduce the anxiety experienced by the child witness while testifying in the criminal trial.”
McDaniel had been free on a $100,000 bond but was taken into custody at the end of the trial. He was represented by Texarkana lawyer John Pickett and Little Rock lawyer Jeff Rosenzweig.
