An Indiana man charged with the 2021 rape of a female juvenile while living in Mountain Home appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court last Monday.
Twenty-five-year-old Juan Martin Blankenship who lists an address in Lake Station, Indiana is scheduled to go on trial in early December.
An arrest warrant in the case was not issued until October 2022 after forensic evidence had been examined and reports were received from the state crime lab.
He was reported to have basically stayed in motels in the Mountain Home area. After he returned to Indiana, his whereabouts were also fairly fluid.
When Indiana law enforcement officials attempted service on Blankenship stemming from an order of protection filed in the Baxter County case, it took some time to locate him.
According to court records, there were more than seven Indiana addresses associated with Blankenship.
Blankenship has changed lawyers recently. He is now represented by the Digby Law Firm in Benton.
A number of motions have been filed by the firm on Blankenship’s behalf.
Those motions include: a request to suppress certain statements that may have been made by Blankenship and to prevent the state from mentioning Facebook messages between Blankenship and the victim.
The defense lawyer also wants the court to prevent the state from mentioning that a “physical argument” between Blankenship and the victim’s sister had allegedly taken place and to suppress evidence the defense attorney said was “illegally obtained” by law enforcement.
The motions were discussed during Monday’s session and Circuit Judge John Putman said most of the requests from the defense could be dealt with depending on what the state wanted to present to the jury.
Information in the case is limited because the files have been sealed by the court.
According to court records, Blankenship has been free on a $100,000 bond written by Triple R Bail Bonds, Inc.
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