A man who impregnated a 15-year-old in Arkansas will not face any jail time due to a plea deal.
Mason Lee Gipson, 23, was sentenced to 1 year of probation for child endangerment in Craighead County on July 17 and required to pay $690 in restitution to the victim, court documents show. Gipson was initially charged with fourth-degree sexual assault, which could have brought up to six years in prison if convicted.
Mason Gipson Affidavit by Hudson Crozier on Scribd
Gipson’s attorney in the case and county prosecutor Charlene Henry did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.
The convict already had two child support cases filed against him by two different women before the assault case, records show.
An affidavit said Gipson admitted to police in August 2024 that he had sex with the minor victim after drinking heavily at her parent’s house.
“Mason stated that he knew it was wrong and that he wasn’t in the right state of mind,” the affidavit reads.
Henry downgraded the charge against Gipson from sexual assault to child endangerment, a misdemeanor, “based on discussion with the victim’s parent,” she said in a July 16 motion. After pleading guilty, Gipson is required to attend parenting classes and complete a mental health assessment in addition to paying restitution.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) hired Henry as a special assistant U.S. attorney in 2020, citing in part her experience prosecuting sex crimes.
Republican Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office said it would “take a look at the case,” declining to comment further.
Republican Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform before taking office in 2023. That year, she signed a public safety legislative package that year that removed parole eligibility for violent crimes such as rape and murder.
Sanders’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
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