Authorities report an Izard County man who pled guilty to several counts of sexual assault in a child and child grooming was sentenced to 20 years in the Arkansas Department Of Corrections on Tuesday.
Gerald Lawrence Villneff, Jr., age 42, of Oxford entered a negotiated plea of guilty to (2) counts of second-degree sexual assault and (1) count of sexually grooming a child.
Authorities began investigating Villneff on Feb. 28th after receiving a report from the Arkansas State Police’s Child Abuse Hotline reporting the victim was being sexually assaulted by Villneff and had happened on more than one occasion.
During an interview including investigators with Izard County and Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division, the victim made credible disclosures about five separate incidents in which Villneff sexually assaulted them, according to the affidavit.
The child also disclosed that Villneff said he had a “crush” on them but not to tell anyone.
The victim also reported to investigators that Villneff kept sexual devices in his backpack that he used on them.
On March 3rd the Izard County Sheriff’s Office received a tip stating that Villneff was allegedly a child molester, claiming “I saw on his phone kid porn, doll porn and animal porn.”
The tipster also disclosed Villneff carried a variety of sex toys he had made in his backpack.
An interview with Villneff’s wife she disclosed Gerald would watch pornography “at least daily” on the website that a victim had identified.
Villneff was arrested on Thursday, March 6, 2025.