Reserve deputy arrested on suspicion of rape

By The Associated Press

HOPE — A Hempstead County reserve deputy has been arrested on suspicion of rape after a woman told authorities she had been assaulted by a uniformed officer.

Hempstead County Sheriff Jerry Crane said he subsequently fired Jeffery L. Mayle, 47, who was arrested Wednesday on the charge.

"Being a sheriff, I feel that anyone who wears the uniform of a law enforcement officer, it's their job to serve and protect the community," Crane told the Hope Star. "When anyone who wears the uniform is accused of violating the law, I feel they should be held more accountable because they are supposed to serve the public."

According to police, a 39-year-old Hempstead County woman reported that she'd been assaulted by a deputy around midnight Saturday. The woman told police that she'd been fighting with her boyfriend and had left his vehicle carrying some beer when a marked patrol car approached.

She said Mayle, in uniform, questioned her about why she was walking with beer, and told her to get into the front seat of the patrol car. The woman told police that the deputy then drove her to Millwood Lake and asked her to perform a sexual act, which she initially refused to do but then later complied.

Crane said he asked for Arkansas State Police to investigate after the report was made. The investigation led to the rape arrest, he said.

"It's hard to take, but we are an honest department," Crane said. "We uphold the law. Anyone who violates it while wearing the uniform, they need to be prosecuted."

Mayle, who has been a reserve deputy sheriff since last August, remained in the Hempstead County jail awaiting a court appearance.