A man who was being held in the Miller County jail for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl when he tied his cellmate to a bunk, knocked him unconscious and sexually assaulted him, was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week.
Charles Steven Anderson, 63, will be in his 80s before he is eligible for parole. Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell said the sentence is essentially a life sentence for Anderson. Mitchell said the plea bargain means the victims won’t have to face Anderson in a courtroom or testify publicly at a trial.
Anderson knocked his cellmate unconscious, tied him to his bunk and sexually assaulted him April 17, 2021, according to probable cause documents. A nurse and correctional officer observed that the man’s feet were “tied down” when they were distributing medications at around 6:30 p.m.
When the officer entered the cell, he saw that Anderson’s cellmate had been gagged with a piece of cloth and that he was tied to his bunk facedown at his neck, waist and ankles. His hands and feet were bound with pieces of a cut up sheet.
The victim reported that he was lying in his bunk when he felt Anderson’s knee in his ribs and looked up to see Anderson’s fist coming toward his face. Officers noted swelling to the man’s face and collected clothing and other items from the cell.
A doctor who treated the inmate at a local hospital told investigators that the inmate suffered broken ribs and had likely been sexually assaulted with an object.
At the time of the rape of Anderson’s cellmate, Anderson was being held on two counts of rape of a child under 14.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Anderson, a distant relative known as “Uncle Speedy,” sexually abused a 4-year-old girl while staying at her family’s home in August 2019.
Anderson was sentenced to 25 years on two counts of rape involving the girl, 25 years on one count of rape involving his former cellmate and six years for battery of his former cellmate. The sentences will run concurrently.
