A Texarkana, Ark., man received a 25-year prison term Wednesday after pleading guilty to rape in Miller County.
Mark McCullough, 56, was scheduled to go on trial later this week for sexually abusing a girl to whom he is related. The girl’s mother reported the abuse to Miller County Sheriff’s Office in October 2015. Investigators with the sheriff’s office acquired a search warrant for McCullough’s phone which contained text messages to the victim of a sexual nature.
McCullough appeared Wednesday morning before Circuit Judge Brent Haltom and entered a guilty plea to rape. Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys Connie Mitchell and Kristian Robertson handled the prosecution.
If McCullough had taken the case to trial, he could have received 10 to 40 years or life in prison. He must serve at least 70 percent of the 25-year sentence he received Wednesday before he becomes eligible for release on parole.
McCullough was taken into custody by members of the Miller County Sheriff’s Office after the hearing Wednesday. He had been free on a $40,000 bond.