Hope AR Man Who Met 12-Year-Old Online Guilty Of Federal & State Crimes

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TEXARKANA, Ark.–A Hope man serving 25 years in state prison for kidnapping a 12-year-old girl pleaded guilty on Monday in federal court in Texarkana to a related charge.

Jonathan Tyrell Haney, 35, met the girl on the “dating focused” site “Badoo” in early 2021, according to court records. When the girl’s mother discovered her missing April 12, 2021, investigators found evidence linking her disappearance to Haney on electronic devices.

Haney pleaded guilty on Monday to coercion and enticement of a person under 18 to engage in conduct that constitutes rape under Arkansas law at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Susan O. Hickey in Texarkana’s downtown federal building. Haney faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison up to a possible life term at sentencing, as well as a fine up to $250,000.

Haney pleaded guilty to kidnapping in Ashley County circuit court in November 2021 and received a 25-year sentence. He must also register as a sex offender as a result of his conviction there.

Haney kept the girl with him the night of April 12, 2021. She was found the next day near a gas station in Magnolia, Arkansas, according to court records. Clothing worn by the girl at the time of the kidnapping contained semen stains which were linked to Haney by his DNA.

Haney is expected to return to federal court in Texarkana in several months for sentencing in the enticement case.

Arkansas Department of Corrections records show Haney will be eligible for parole in the kidnapping case on Oct. 14, 2038, although eligibility for parole is not a guarantee that it will be granted. There is no parole from a federal sentence though offenders may earn up to 54 days credit per year toward their term for good behavior.

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