BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — A registered level 2 sex offender was arrested in Benton County on Monday (Feb. 6), according to a police report from Sgt. Shannon Jenkins.
A deputy was dispatched to a child sexual assault call in the area of Mt. Olive Rd. and Wildwood Way in Centerton. The report states that a juvenile female said when she got off the school bus an unknown male, driving a red Dodge Challenger, approached her. Police said he allegedly touched her inappropriately and then asked if she wanted to “experiment” with him.
Deputies obtained a tag number to the suspect’s car and identified him as 37-year-old Mario Perea-Lopez Jr.
Perea was arrested on suspicion of second-degree sexual assault. Further investigation revealed that he is a registered level 2 sex offender.
The sheriff’s office request that if anyone has had a similar encounter with a suspect, matching the description mentioned above, they are encouraged to contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation division at (479) 271-1008.
