A jury trial was scheduled last week in Sheridan in the state’s case against Justin Paul Bryant.
Instead, Bryant, 36, took a plea deal.
He faces 70 years – 50 years on two counts of rape and 20 years on two counts of sexual assault – in the Arkansas Department of Corrections. He will serve the counts concurrently.
The backstory
On January 30, 2024, Bryant was arrested.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, a litney of court hearings and changes with Bryant's public defenders occurred.
Finally, a jury trial was scheduled to begin last week.
Instead, the parties settled on the plea agreement.
The victims read impact statements on Friday in Circuit Judge Margaret Dobson's courtroom.
The Reckoning opted not to attend the hearing out of respect for the victims' privacy. The victims confronted Bryant while reading their impact statements, a source told the Reckoning.
Bryant is currently being held in the Sheridan Detention Center until he is moved to the Arkansas Department of Corrections.
