Rape trial set for Indiana man in Baxter County Circuit Court

Juan Blankenship (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)

A trial date of July 17 has been set for an Indiana man charged with the 2021 rape of a female juvenile.

It was announced during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Monday that lawyers for 25-year-old Juan Martin Blankenship, who lists an address in Lake Station, Ind., and prosecutors had worked out issues in various pre-trial motions filed by the defense.

Blankenship is represented by the Digby Law Firm in Benton.

The motions covered a number of issues, including a request to suppress certain statements that may have been made by Blankenship and to prevent the state from mentioning Facebook messages between Blankenship and the victim.

The defense lawyers also want the court to prevent the state from mentioning that a “physical argument” between Blankenship and the victim’s sister had allegedly taken place and to suppress evidence the defense attorney alleges was “illegally obtained” by law enforcement.

An arrest warrant in the case was not issued until October 2022 after forensic evidence had been examined, and reports were received from the state crime lab.

The alleged rape is purported to have happened during the time Blankenship lived in the Mountain Home area.

He was reported to have basically stayed in motels in the Mountain Home area. After he returned to Indiana, his whereabouts were also fairly fluid.

When Indiana law enforcement officials attempted service on Blankenship stemming from an order of protection filed in the Baxter County case, it took some time to locate him.

According to court records, there were more than seven Indiana addresses associated with Blankenship.

Information in the case is limited because the files have been sealed by the court as is normal procedure in most sex crime cases.

According to court records, Blankenship has been free on a $100,000 bond written by Triple R Bail Bonds, Inc.

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