In a bizarre incident on Monday, a Searcy man set himself on fire before jumping off a cliff at Riverside Park in White County.
The man, identified as 31-year-old Daniel C. Selby, was scheduled to go to trial in January on charges of rape involving a juvenile.
The White County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene after reports of someone calling for help from below the cliffs. Lt. Scott Seiders, one of the first responders, spotted Selby far down the cliffs, approximately 20 yards from the river.
The Searcy Fire Department was called in for a high-angle rescue and water extraction. Seiders ran along the base of the cliffs to reach Selby, who was found conscious and alert despite having been there for around three hours.
The fire department and Special Operations Rescue team was able to lower Selby to a rescue boat and transfer him to a waiting ambulance down river.
Selby, who resided on Waterstone Drive in Searcy at the time of his arrest, sustained a visibly broken leg, various impact injuries, and second- and third-degree burns over much of his upper body.
Selby reportedly told Seiders that he had lit himself on fire with lighter fluid before going over the cliff edge. He was ultimately rescued and transferred to a waiting ambulance for transport to a local hospital.
The sexual assault of a 2-year-old was reported January 19, 2023 according to an affidavit written by Detective Kendall Samuel of the Searcy Police Department. Selby’s jury trial, initially scheduled for January 13, 2025, will likely be delayed while he recovers from his injuries.
