BENTONVILLE -- A Siloam Springs teen will be tried as an adult in connection with filming the suspected rape of a girl.
Joseph Andrew Wall, 19, is charged with computer exploitation of a child, a Class B felony punishable with a prison sentence ranging from five to 20 years. Wall was 17 at the time of the incident. Kathryn Moore, his attorney, filed a motion to transfer the case to juvenile court.
A transfer hearing was set for Wednesday, but Moore withdrew the motion. That means Wall's case will remain in the adult system.
Wall's next court appearance is set for Nov. 3.
Wall was arrested Aug. 13, 2014. He's accused of filming a child in a sex act in September 2013, according to court documents. The incident happened at a Sept. 27 party at a Siloam Springs home.
Jeran Sorum, 19, also was arrested in connection with the investigation. He is charged with rape, a Class Y felony, and computer exploitation of a child, a Class B felony. He was arrested when he was 17, and prosecutors charged him as an adult.
Sorum is accused of having sex with a minor who was incapable of consent because she was mentally incapacitated. The computer exploitation charge accuses Sorum of permitting a child to engage in sexual conduct and filming the acts, according to court documents.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren already ruled Sorum will be tried as an adult.
An investigation began after a 15-year-old reported being raped at a party. The girl reported she was at a party where she drank enough alcohol to become dizzy and throw up, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Sorum's jury trial is scheduled for Sept. 29.
General News on 08/30/2015