A man accused of raping multiple children over several years in Northeast Arkansas is claiming he did “nothing wrong because it was in the Bible,” according to investigators involved in the case.
Thomas Stokes, age 49, was arrested in a coordinated effort that included Rector PD, Clay County Sheriff’s Office and Greene County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday January 14th and charged with multiple felonies including rape and introducing a controlled substance into the body of another person.
January 3rd 2026 when the first victim reported that Stokes had allegedly sexually assaulted them multiple times in the past and pressured them into using methamphetamine.
The victim stated to investigators being “deathly afraid” of Stokes, who claimed a certain chapter in the Bible made it okay for him to have sex with them.
Further investigation led to other names that started to surface. Investigators spoke with a second victim on January 5th 2026 who stated Stokes had sexually abused them on several occasions when they were 12 or 13 years old.
On January 6th, investigators interviewed a third victim at the police department and, according to the court documents, stated that Stokes had sexually abused them when they were 13 years old.
A fourth victim came forward on January 6th who stated when they were 13, Stokes gave them Xanax then raped them while they were under the influence and asleep.
Authorities say several witnesses corroborated the victims’ stories.
Court documents state that one of the witnesses confronted Stokes, he allegedly replied that “there was nothing wrong with it because it was in the Bible.”
District Court Judge Curtis Hitt found probable cause to charge Stokes and set his bond at $1,500,000.
Stokes was ordered to have no contact with any of the victims or witnesses involved in the case.