A jury in Ashley County has found Michael Hicks guilty of sexual assault in the second degree following a trial in Ashley County Circuit Court before Judge Robert Gibson III.

The conviction stems from a 2023 investigation by the Arkansas State Police Crime Against Children Division and the Ashley County Sheriff’s Office concluding that Hicks engaged in illegal sexual contact with a minor under the age of 14.

Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Sandra Bradshaw, represented the State of Arkansas. Hicks was represented by defense attorney Joe Mazzanti. After both parties presented their sides of the case, the jury found Hicks guilty.

During the sentencing version of the trial, the jury heard additional evidence that Hicks had prior convictions for similar offenses. The jury recommended a sentence of 45 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction along with a $10,000 fine. Judge Gibson followed the jury’s recommendation in full. Pursuant to Arkansas’s Habitual offender statute, Hicks will be required to serve 100% of his 45-year sentence without the possibility of parole.

“I want to thank the jury for their time today. Considering the severe nature of the offense, the vulnerable age of the victim, and the defendant’s history, the defendant earned his sentence.” said Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain. “Our office remains committed to holding sexual offenders accountable and protecting the children in our community.”

If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, or if you are a victim of child abuse or neglect, immediately contact the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-482-5964 (TDD: 1-800-843-6349). Mandated reporters can also submit reports through the secure online portal at mandatedreporter.arkansas.gov.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 20th, 2026 at 12:45 am and is filed under Police /Legal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.