A 57-year-old Fort Smith man who has been out on a $50,000 Bond since his late November arrest on two counts of sexual assault and second degree was sentenced Wednesday in Sebastian County Circuit Court.
Clifford Dean Crose, who's last official address with the courts was in the 1400 block of South 12th Street in Fort Smith, received a 5-year imposed sentence with an additional 15-year suspended after his plea deal allowed him to plea on just one of the two original counts.
Given Croise' age, his victim would have
at least 42 years his junior
Crose, who was arrested on November 23, 2022 and charged with the two counts of sexual contact with someone under the age of 16 years of age, appeared with coin-appointed attorney Christina Scherry. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jason Hunter announced to nolo prosequi the second count.
Crose accepted the plea and pled guilty as charged. He was given jail time credit, must give his DNA to the statewide system and he will have to register as a sex offender. He will be required to pay the mandatory six offender registration fees at $60 a month beginning 90 days after his release.
Crose was also commanded to have no future contact with his victim.
