Ridling v. State

Tom Glaze, Justice.

Appellant Danny J. Ridling was charged under Ark. Code Ann. § 5-14-103(a) (Repl. 1997) with the rape of a girl (Kimberly) who was less than fourteen years old. He was originally charged with carnal abuse, but the State upgraded the offense when the girl informed the prosecutor that the incidents of sexual intercourse commenced earlier than she had originally revealed. It is undisputed that before Ridling was charged, Kimberly was pregnant and had given birth on March 19, 1997, to a child that Ridling later acknowledged to be his. The child was born approximately nine months…