This is a roundup of felony charges filed Jan. 16-30, 2026, by the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office. Some defendants may also have misdemeanor charges against them, but most are not included here. The following names and charges, which are contained within public documents, are gathered from online court records available through ARCourts. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Editor’s note: Details in the following article may be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
Suspect in Christmas Eve rape case was on parole at time of incident
An Arkadelphia man accused of rape has a lengthy criminal history revolving around his status as a sex offender.
Michael Lewis Balch is in the custody of the Arkansas Department of Corrections following his Christmas Eve arrest in Arkadelphia. Balch, 52, faces a Class Y Rape charge as a female reported that he performed oral sex on her without her consent.
According to a police affidavit, the victim flagged down an Arkadelphia Police Department officer on Dec. 24 to report that she was sleeping in her apartment when she was awakened by a stranger performing the act on her. She said she left the room and phoned her mother to come get her before notifying authorities.
Police arrived at the residence to find Balch, who relayed that he was there to fix the plumbing and hadn’t done anything. He was then taken into custody as police continued their investigation.
The victim’s male companion told police that, unbeknownst to the victim, he had invited Balch to stay at the residence during the early morning hours, and that the incident occurred after he left for work, with Balch still at the residence.
Balch was on parole for failing to register as a sex offender and has a lengthy history of that very offense. In 2004 he was convicted of fourth-degree Sexual Assault. Balch has since been convicted seven times for failing to register, according to court records.
Based on his status as a parolee, Balch was taken into state custody to await adjudication of the new Rape charge. If convicted, he could receive 10-40 years or life in prison. Bond was set at $100,000.
Hope man, shot in gunfire exchange, gets firearms charge
A Hope felon faces new charges as he possessed a handgun—and used it—in a gunfire exchange in Arkadelphia.
Ja’carian Markel Key, 19, is charged with Possession of a Firearm by a Certain Person. A police affidavit says that Key returned fire on a group of men who first shot at his own group.
On Jan. 3, 2026, officers with the Arkadelphia Police Department were dispatched to Feaster Park for a report of multiple gun shots that rang out in the area. Upon arrival they located a vehicle parked on Haddock Street near its intersection with North 23rd, and were approached by two people who reported being shot at by a person in a group of three or four unknown males on foot.
The vehicle was struck twice, leaving it disabled in the roadway, and the perpetrators fled.
The driver then disclosed that he had returned fire on the other party as they fled the area, and that a third person—identified as Key—had been in the vehicle at the time of the incident and was shot in the exchange of gunfire. Key, it was learned, fled the scene because he’d been shot in the arm. Key soon returned to the scene, his wound wrapped with a shirt, and was transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment to his injury.
The vehicle was towed from the scene until investigators could obtain a search warrant, which allowed them to find a pair of handguns in the car. Detectives also collected video surveillance from area businesses, finding one gas station’s footage that showed Keys and the driver each holding a firearm while sitting in the vehicle.
During the course of the investigation, police also learned that Key had a prior felony conviction that prohibits him from possessing a gun. Court records indicate that he was convicted in Hempstead County for the charge of Aggravated Assault, in 2025.
If convicted of the new charge in Clark County, Key could face 5-20 years in prison and/or fine of up to $15,000.
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