True Crime Chronicles: Thrice convicted sexual deviant will be up for parole (again) in 2028

Mark Anthony Wimbush,

Mark Anthony Wimbush, a Level 4 sex offender with a documented history spanning nearly three decades, remains incarcerated in the Arkansas Department of Correction at the Cummins Unit following his 2020 conviction for second-degree sexual assault. He has been continuously held in state prison since his initial receipt date of November 16, 2020.

Born December 22, 1962, the 63-year-old Dardanelle-area man has accumulated multiple convictions for sexually abusing and assaulting young female children, along with failures to comply with sex offender registration requirements. His criminal record illustrates a persistent pattern of offending against the most vulnerable victims.

Wimbush’s documented criminal history began in the mid-1990s in Yell County. In 1995, he was convicted of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree (Yell County Case 1995-44). Court records and sex offender notifications detail that he engaged in sexual contact with a female child approximately three years old.

He received a three-year sentence. This conviction established him as a convicted sex offender required to register and comply with strict community notification and residency rules.

In 2002, Wimbush faced new charges in Yell County. He was convicted on February 19, 2003, of Sexual Assault in the Second Degree (Yell County Case 2002-43). The victim was a female acquaintance approximately seven years old. He received a 120-month (10-year) sentence.

During a 2002 Sex Offender Risk Assessment, Wimbush reportedly admitted to inappropriately touching numerous children for sexual gratification, according to public notifications from the Yell County Sheriff’s Office. He was also convicted in Johnson County around the same period for Failure to Register as a sex offender (Case 2000-28, sentenced November 8, 2002, to 24 months).

After serving portions of his sentences, Wimbush continued to draw law enforcement attention. In February 2017, while living in Fort Smith, he was arrested for peeping into women’s apartment windows, though that case’s final disposition is not detailed in available public records.

On July 30, 2019, Dardanelle Police arrested Wimbush for inappropriate contact with a juvenile female. Investigators concluded the case that afternoon, leading to his detention at the Yell County Detention Center with an initial bond of $25,000.

This led to his most recent conviction: Sexual Assault in the Second Degree (Yell County Case 2019-12). On November 12, 2020, he was sentenced to 96 months (eight years) in the Arkansas Department of Correction. His projected earliest release date, or parole eligibility date, is November 11, 2028.

Wimbush is classified as a Level 4 sex offender -- the highest risk category in Arkansas --due to his history of offending against very young female children (ages 3 and 7 documented). Public notifications describe his victim preference as young females and note his prior admissions of contact with multiple children.

He is currently held at the Cummins Unit with a custody classification of C5.

Wimbush’s repeated returns to Yell County and surrounding areas despite convictions and registration requirements highlight challenges in sex offender supervision in rural Arkansas communities.

His case underscores the lifelong monitoring required for high-risk offenders and the recurring trauma inflicted on child victims and their families in the River Valley region.