Photo: Dustin Lee Brandenburg
A 20-year-old Gassville man charged with drugging and raping a juvenile was put on house arrest during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday.
In addition, the $100,000 bond for Dustin Lee Brandenburg was lowered to $30,000.
Brandenburg’s attorney, Ben Burnett, told Circuit judge John Putman that his client had been locked up in the Baxter County Detention Center for about six months and “has been no problem” for the jail staff. Burnett also told the court Brandenburg had family in the area and “is not a flight risk.”
Burnett said Brandenburg would be required to remain at his residence, except for trips to court, his lawyers office or medical appointments, and would wear an ankle monitor at his own expense.
An order for Brandenburg to have no contact with the alleged victim remains in effect. Burnett said the defense had been informed that the victim had moved out-of-state.
Brandenburg was arrested in July 2021, after Gassville police responded to a disturbance call at a residence along Arrowhead Drive.
The parents of the victim said she and another juvenile had reportedly gone to Brandenburg’s residence to watch movies.
He is alleged to have sent one juvenile home, leaving him alone with the other.
The parents reported they went to Brandenburg’s home and found him and the juvenile in a bedroom.
The juvenile’s clothing was reported to be “disheveled,” and the teen was said to be acting, “very out of it and lethargic.”
The victim was transported to Baxter Regional Medical Center, where a rape kit and drug screening were conducted.
The drug screen found evidence of the tranquilizer Xanax in the victim’s system.
When Brandenburg was questioned, he allegedly admitted to having sex with the victim, but claimed the juvenile took the Xanax willingly.
He said he had taken the drug out of a family member’s prescription bottle earlier in the day.
The victim said Brandenburg had provided a glass of “special tea” that was “sour” tasting.
Brandenburg is charged with rape and introducing a controlled substance into the body of another. Rape is a Class Y felony, the most serious classification of crime in Arkansas not punished by the death penalty.
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