Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Aug. 6, 2025 – A Jonesboro man is being held on a $1 million cash/surety bond after police said he raped a victim while they were asleep and tried to get a witness to join them.
According to an affidavit, on July 23, Jonesboro police officers took a report of sexual assault that occurred in the 900 block of Belt Street. The victim said 60-year-old Cecil Ray Lindley had sex with them while they were asleep the previous night.
Police interviewed a witness on July 24, who told them they saw Lindley on top of the victim having sex. The witness said they were asked several times to have a threesome with them, but refused to do so.
The morning after, Lindley came out of the bedroom and told the witness that “he [Lindley] had to do both parts since [the witness] would not participate,” the affidavit said.
The victim was interviewed on July 25, telling police they woke up with no shorts on and asked Lindley about it. He responded that he had sex with the victim, according to police.
In a Mirandized interview on Aug. 5, Lindley told police that he went to the victim’s home and after the victim went to bed, he removed their shorts and performed sexual acts to try to wake them up, but the victim did not respond.
Lindley said he thought the victim was awake even though they were not moving or talking when having sex with them, the affidavit said.
District Judge David Boling found probable cause Aug. 6 to charge Lindley with rape. In addition to the $1 million bond, Lindley will have to wear a GPS ankle monitor. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victim.
The judge’s reasoning for the $1 million bond, he said, was based on previous guilty pleas from Lindley, specifically with two domestic battery cases in 2023, both involving the same victim.
Lindley’s next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 30.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic/sexual violence, call 800-656-HOPE (4673) to reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline.
