Jacob R. Fulford, AKA Bledsoe, 25, accepted a plea deal and was sentenced in Sebastian County Circuit Court in Greenwood on Wednesday, May 5.
Bledsoe was arrested in May of 2020 after an investigation by the Greenwood Police Department and charged with two counts of rape, class “Y” felonies. According to the affidavit for warrant of arrest, the offense occurred between November 2, 2018, and November 30, 2018. Bledsoe reportedly engaged in deviate sexual activity with a child less than 14 years of age.
Bledsoe met the 13-year-old victim on the Grinder App. On October 31, 2018, Bledsoe picked the victim up from his school and drove him to Greenwood. During this interaction, the boy confessed his real age, which he had misrepresented on the Grinder App.
On November 1, 2018, and again later in the month, Bledsoe picked up the victim and drove him to his residence in Greenwood where the victim performed sex acts on Bledsoe. According to the affidavit, this happened on multiple occasions through January 2020. Bledsoe would also ask the victim to send him photos of his genitalia and a lewd video of himself.
On February 25, 2020, Bledsoe was arrested in Crawford County for two counts of possession of child pornography. During the course of that investigation, seven photographs were discovered on Bledsoe’s cellphone that were identified as being photographed in the minor victim’s bedroom.
The Greenwood Police Department requested Arkansas State Police assist with the forensic investigation of the electronic devices that were involved.
Bledsoe will serve 25 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, followed by 15 years suspended sentence. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
