Not guilty pleas on new charges entered on behalf of two people in child abuse case

Two people already accused of keeping a then 15-year-old male locked in a bathroom naked and unfed entered not guilty pleas to a long list of new charges that have been filed against them. The pleas for 41-year-old Daniel Wright and 42-year-old Jaclyn Barnett were entered by the attorney representing them during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division Monday.
They were arrested by the Mansfield police department and booked into the Special Housing Unit of the Sebastian County Detention Center in Fort Smith until they were transported and booked into the Baxter County Detention Center just before 3 a.m. November 7.

Bond is set at one million dollars each.

Barnett shows to be facing 40 new charges, including 10 counts of rape of a person under 14-years-old and unable to consent, 10 counts of sexual indecency with a child, 10 counts of false imprisonment with risk of injury, 10 counts of 2nd degree sexual assault.

The are fewer new charges filed against Daniel Wright – first degree endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment with the risk of injury in the first degree.
The new charges are based on new information which has come to light as the situation was investigated.

When they were booked into the Special Housing Unit of the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center, both Wright and Barnett listed an address along North Division Street in Mansfield.

The address shows to be a trailer park.

Wright and Barnett have been listing an address in Gassville on court documents related to the initial case against them.

It does not appear there were any conditions on the initial bond that would have prohibited the move to Mansfield.

The nature of the case will result in most information, including the probable cause affidavits, being sealed by the court.

The couple was scheduled to go on trial during the week of November 10 in the initial case but the lawyer representing Wright and Barnett asked the court on Monday for the case to be continued until January. The reason given in the motion to continue was that additional information needed to be reviewed prior to trial. No specifics on the additional information were provided in the motion.

The last time the pair physically appeared in court was during a session October 20.

Both Wright and Barnett are due back in court January 12, 2026.

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