Prosecutors have requested that a Marion County judge revoke the bond of Steven L. Manson Sr., 56, and detain him without release, alleging he committed new felony offenses while awaiting trial on an earlier conspiracy to commit rape charge. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Russo filed the motion on Wednesday in Marion County Circuit Court, asking for a bond hearing to be set for August 18.
Manson had been charged in March with conspiracy to commit rape, a Class Y felony, along with terroristic threatening, a Class D felony, and coercion, a Class A misdemeanor. He was released on bond but was re-arrested on July 30 after law enforcement executed a search warrant at his residence on County Road 8054, located outside Yellville.
According to an affidavit by Marion County Sheriff’s Office investigator Lt. Silas Gibson, deputies searching the property seized approximately 8.71 pounds of suspected marijuana packaged in a manner consistent with its sale and delivery. Three handguns were also recovered from a safe on the property. Manson, a convicted felon in Illinois, is prohibited from possessing firearms.
Gibson sought charges against Manson for possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, a Class C felony, and three counts of possession of a firearm by certain persons, a Class B felony. A habitual offender enhancement was also requested. Circuit Judge Johnnie Copeland found probable cause for the charges and set Manson’s bond at $50,000, which he later posted. The terms of his release prohibit firearm possession, the sale or use of unprescribed controlled substances, and alcohol consumption. Manson also agreed to GPS ankle monitoring, with a positive drug test triggering automatic bond revocation.
In its motion to keep Manson in custody, the state cited Rule 9.6 of the Arkansas Rules of Criminal Procedure, which permits bond revocation if there is reasonable cause to believe the defendant committed a felony while awaiting trial. Russo noted that Manson faces penalties of up to life in prison if convicted on charges stemming from his original March arrest and called his alleged pattern of behavior a disregard for state laws. The motion also alleges that Manson has recently traveled out of state to Missouri and Illinois, which could violate bond terms.
Manson was not represented by a lawyer at the time of the motion’s filing. His former attorney, Eugene P. Clifford of Little Rock, was relieved from the case on July 24 following his request to withdraw due to a conflict of interest. Clifford had also withdrawn from representing Manson’s son, Steven M. Manson Jr., and a second family member, Dezarae Manson, who are co-defendants in a related case involving the reported rape of an 18-year-old woman. The incident occurred on the County Road 8054 property, where the victim escaped to a neighbor’s house and reported the assault on March 7. Each of the three is being prosecuted separately.
Steven Manson Jr., facing six open cases in Marion County, is set for a status hearing on August 18. His charges include a separate Class Y felony for the alleged rape of his 10-year-old stepdaughter. Meanwhile, Steven Manson Sr. is scheduled for a status hearing on October 13. The August 18 bond hearing, requested by state prosecutors, has not yet been set by the court. Should Manson Sr. be granted release again, prosecutors are asking that a new bond include restrictions barring him from leaving Arkansas and requiring ankle monitoring.