A Saline County man will go to prison for the maximum sentence after violating a young family member two years ago, and then two more came forward.
Dylan Easterday, age 36, of East End was convicted of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree by a Saline County jury. Judge Josh Farmer followed the jury’s sentencing recommendation and sentenced Easterday to the maximum sentence of 240 months in the Arkansas Department of Correction.
The State presented evidence that in the early morning hours of May 30-31, 2019, Easterday entered the home of a juvenile relative who was awakened when she realized someone was in her bed and fondling her. She awakened her brother who saw Easterday leaving the child’s room. Easterday spoke briefly to the pair then left the residence when the siblings went to inform their father.
When questioned by police, Easterday admitted being in the house in bed with the juvenile but stated that he had taken Klonapin and drank beer the night before and did not recall touching her.
The juvenile’s sister testified that she previously woke to Easterday in her bed fondling her when she spent the night at his residence in Sheridan babysitting his children. She reported the abuse to the Grant County authorities but no charges were filed.
Their brother also testified that when he was approximately 13 years old, Easterday lured him under his grandmother’s house to perform maintenance work and sexually abused him there. He testified that he had come to terms with his own abuse but the fact that his sisters had also been abused was unforgiveable and made him disclose what had happened to him.
Prosecuting Attorney Chris Walton stated, “It is inconceivable that families will not protect their own. This jury sent a powerful message to Easterday that our community will step in to protect abused children when their families fail them. Clearly, a maximum sentence for sexually assaulting a child is a strong statement that his conduct will not be tolerated.”
Walton went on to thank the Saline County Sheriff’s office for their investigation and Rebecca Bush and Mary Grace Daughtrey for successfully prosecuting the case for the State. Walton stated, “These cases are the most difficult cases to prosecute. The deputies involved worked hard and the jury rendered a just verdict.”
The grandmother didn’t have diamentia
No it’s inconceivable that this trail even continued after the defendent told his lawyer that there was a conflict of interest because the defendent know the jury foreman and the jury formans son, but the judge wouldn’t listen and continued and what’s more inconceivable is that these children have lied and lied about this and made numerous comments to people over the years that this defendent didn’t touch them and as for there father of these kids why didn’t he do anything when the son came to him he did do a thing but continue to work at the same business as defendent rode to work with defendent, socialized with the defendent regularly., And they put the grandmother on stand to testify for the plaintiff but when grandmother testified they didn’t like what she had to say so they comment IN COURT well your honor the grandmother has diamentia and then the girl alleging charges says the same thing because her grandmother told the truth about her be a liar and always lying she even told her grandmother he never touched me. As for the other sister why were charges brought against him why didn’t the parents push for charges? Because of the simple fact it’s all lies because the defendent was told by the defendents mother not to buy them cigarettes or not buy them weed anymore that pissed them off that they even stole from the defendent. This young man was not given a fair trail has lost his children 3 children lost his grandmother who died Willie incarnated he’s lost everything while these girls are living in the streets because there good father that never pushed charges earlier in the years kicked them out of there grandmothers home before this trail began but they put on a really good show didn’t they the father was worried the defendent would inherit something of his mother’s this trail was a joke