Published: September 11, 2008 12:30 pm      

Warrant issued for Ada man on sexual battery charges

Ada — By Judd Morse

Staff Writer

ADA — A warrant from Hughes County has been issued for the arrest of Ada resident Daniel Hardcastle. Anticipated charges on the warrant are sexual battery and multiple counts of lewd acts with a child under the age of 16.

The affidavit for the warrant, filed in Hughes County District Court, was compiled by Brad Arnold, a member of the Hughes County Sheriff’s Department.

According to the affidavit, Hardcastle is wanted for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor Aug. 19, 2008.

The affidavit said Hardcastle was allegedly intoxicated that evening. The victim told Arnold that Hardcastle came into the alleged victim’s room five separate occasions during the night, and laid next to the victim in the bed, the affidavit said. Hardcastle reportedly sexually assaulted the victim each time, according to the affidavit.

The following day the victim’s mother received a call from the child's school. The victim had alerted a teacher as to what reportedly occurred the night before. The school immediately contacted the victim’s mother. Arnold said in the affidavit the victim did not inform the mother of what happened the night before because Hardcastle was still in the house and told the victim not to say anything.

Arnold indicated in his affidavit the victim was examined by Child Welfare after coming forward at the school, and the physical examination correlated with the victim’s story.

Arnold interviewed Hardcastle Aug. 28, 2008. Hughes County Sheriff Houston Yeager said Arnold had difficulty contacting Hardcastle for the interview. During the interview, Hardcastle denied being intoxicated and denied ever going into the victim’s room.

“After obtaining (Hardcastle’s) statement and everything, and him denying it, the deputy wrote up the report and our D.A. issued a warrant of arrest for him,” said Sheriff Yeager.

Yeager said he sympathizes with family members, who felt that the accused should have been arrested on the day of the allegations, but that evidence wasn’t there to substantiate an immediate arrest.

“We had to work a case up on it,” he said.

The warrant for Hardcastle’s arrest was issued Wednesday, Sept. 3 and sent to the Pontotoc County Sheriff’s Office. An arrest has not yet been made. Pontotoc County Undersheriff Joe Glover said he expected one to be made soon.

“We’ve just got to find him, first,” said Glover.