A Miller County, Arkansas, man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for possession of a firearm while a convicted felon.
James Andrew Taylor, 55, was found guilty by a jury last week. After hearing of Taylor’s seven prior felony convictions, the jury sentenced him to 30 years in prison as a habitual offender. At least one of Taylor’s prior convictions was for possessing a firearm illegally as a convicted felon.
Taylor is scheduled to go to trial in February on an allegation of rape which led to the firearm charge. According to probable cause documents, Taylor allegedly sexually assaulted a 16-year-old girl after giving her methamphetamine in December 2020 on property in rural Miller County.
Taylor allegedly dropped the girl off the following morning on the side of a rural road in Nevada County, Arkansas. The girl was found by a Nevada County law enforcement officer and the case was referred to Miller County Sheriff’s Office.
When investigators went to Taylor’s home in Miller County in January to arrest him for rape they discovered a loaded rifle.
Taylor is being held in the Miller County jail.
