A report of sexual abuse received by a local school resource officer has led to a local man being charged with two counts of rape, a class Y felony.
According to a statement released by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, SRO Deputy Stacy Watson received a report of allegations of sexual abuse by a parent against a child February 26, 2021. Watson took the initial report and called the Child Abuse Hotline before turning the case over to Investigator Greg Harmon.
Harmon and Sheriff White tracked the suspect identified as William Joseph Clingan (age 38) to Batesville where they found him fishing under a bridge. The suspect was asked to go to the Independence County Sheriff’s Office for an interview. He complied and a second interview was scheduled for October 14.
Harmon returned to Independence County for the second time with an agent from the Secret Service. Clingan was later arrested on two counts of Rape, a class Y felony. The investigation led by Harmon is ongoing with recent information expected to lead to additional charges. Upon his arrest Clingan was transported to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office where he was being held on a $100,000 bond.
William Joseph Clingan is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
