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Serial sex offender arrested in Crittenden County

By Janice Broach - bio | email | Follow us on Twitter

CRITTENDEN COUNTY, AR (WMC-TV) - A man charged with more than 70 counts of rape was arrested in Crittenden County earlier this month, leaving officials wondering why he was out of jail so soon.

Benjamin Bishop is a serial child predator with 74 charges against him in Alabama, apparently plea bargained down to 10 charges involving family members from four to 16 years old.

After his release, Bishop lived in a camper on his cousin's property outside of Earle, Arkansas.  It was nearby that Bishop was accused of raping a 23-year-old relative last week in Arkansas.  The victim's uncle spoke with Action News 5 on Tuesday.

"I think he is a monster," the uncle said. "He is not allowed here even if he happens to get out."

Action News 5 is not identifying the victim's uncle to protect her identity.  He said his niece spent the day working with Bishop, and then went to her home to sleep.  It was then, he said, that Bishop entered her home, pulled her pants down, and touched her.

The woman managed to fight Bishop off and call the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department.  Bishop was caught near Jonesboro on March 10th. Soon after, Sheriff Tommy Martin learned Bishop was a level four sex offender.

"A sexually violent predator is what the state calls a level four," Martin said.

Martin said the Crittenden County Sheriff's Department is trying to determine why the county was not notified sooner that Bishop was a level four - the first one to live in the county.  By law, Martin said, county officials would have notified people.

"There's some type of breakdown in communication somewhere," he said.

Bishop's cousin said he knew he had some trouble in Alabama, but didn't know how serious it was.

Bishop also did odd jobs for Tony Dennison.

"If I'd have known he was a category four he'd never have been around here," Dennison said, adding he was angry no one was notified.

Tuesday night, a spokesperson with the Arkansas Department of Corrections said when they are dealing with charges out of another state, it takes a while to get the information, and that's why the assessment took so long.

Bishop is currently behind bars in Crittenden County on a one million dollar bond.