WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A man accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old Arkansas girl and hiding her inside a Wichita home has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years, plus an additional 10 years.
In September, a Sedgwick County jury found David Roark guilty on 18 counts, including kidnapping, abuse of a child, five counts of aggravated indecent liberties, two counts of criminal sodomy, and nine counts of sexual exploitation of a child. His attorneys had argued for a deviation from sentencing guidelines.
However, Judge Jeffery Syrios denied that request, and he was given the maximum penalty during Monday’s sentencing hearing.
Roark was arrested in December 2022 after a call from investigators in Arkansas to Wichita Police. They were alerted that the girl who had been missing since November of that year had been seen with Roark at a convenience store.
Wichita Police arrested Roark as he left a home he was staying at and found the girl in a closet inside.