Registered sex offender in Pope County arrested for rape sexual assault, and groomng of minor

A 40-year old Polk County man, who is already on the Arkansas Sex Offender Registry for crimes in the past, was arrested on Tuesday and remains behind bars in the Polk County Detention Center facing four more charges involving a child. According to information from the Pope County Detention Center Jared Joseph Ribardi, whose last listed address was in the 100 block of Flatwood Drive in London, was arrested for rape, sexual assault in the second degree, sexual solicitation and indecency with a child, and sexually grooming a child. Ribardi's registration on the state sex offender registry comes from a previous molestation of a juvenile, which was a 9-year-old female victim. Ribardi is a Level Two sex offender..

As of 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, no bond had been set for Ribardi and he remains jailed awaiting a bond hearing.

Ribardi has four felony cases currently pending, according to Arkansas court Connect. Prosecutors recently reopened a 2017 case for financial or non-financial identity fraud after the court filed for revocation in October of last year.

In November of last year, Polk County filed charges in circuit court against Ribardi for two counts of theft of property of over $25,000 and two counts of financial identity fraud (accessing or obtaining records or submitting to financial institutions).

In December of last year, Ribardi's estranged wife filed for an order of protection against him claiming he had been "physically, mentally and verbally abusive to her and her minor children for years".

In the affidavit for that order of protection, the wife said she feared for her life and the lives of her children. A divorce between the couple was filed on December 22 and is pending.

The investigation into the current sex crime charges started on December 27 after a minor came forward and disclosed the abuse and grooming.