Copyright Arkansas Online
FAYETTEVILLE -- A Springdale man was convicted of two counts of rape and eight counts of second-degree sexual assault by a Washington County Circuit Court jury Tuesday evening, according to a news release from prosecutors. Henry De Jesus Hernandez-Parada, 41, was sentenced by Circuit Judge Joanna Taylor to 30 years on each rape count, to run concurrently, and 20 years on each of the sexual assault counts, to run concurrently. Hernandez-Parada will have to serve 42 years before he is eligible for parole. According to testimony, Springdale police received a report in March 2021 from a relative of a 5-year-old girl who had disclosed her babysitter's boyfriend had engaged in sexual contact with her. A subsequent investigation revealed that for nearly a decade, dating back to the fall of 2014, Hernandez-Parada had raped and sexually assaulted four different girls. Each girl was in the care of Hernandez-Parada's girlfriend who operated a babysitting business out of her home. According to police, Hernandez-Parada, unbeknownst to his girlfriend, would assault the children when he was left alone with them at the daycare. "Defendants who harm children in places where parents expect safety are deplorable," said Washington County Prosecuting Attorney Brandon Carter. "A predator has been removed from Northwest Arkansas today. I am very proud of the work that the Springdale Police Department, Children's Safety Center and prosecutors Allison Anderson and Sydney Ford completed to bring justice to these victims."
