Former Conway County deputy Joseph Dube sentenced to 22 years for rape of minor

MORRILTON, Ark. — Former Conway County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Joseph Taylor Dube, 34, of Morrilton, pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, to one count of rape of a victim under the age of 14 in Conway County Circuit Court and was sentenced to 22 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, followed by an 8-year suspended imposition of sentence.

The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case at the request of the Conway County Sheriff’s Office on March 22, 2025, after receiving a report alleging Dube sexually abused a minor.

The investigation began in January 2025, when the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division contacted the sheriff’s office regarding allegations of sexual conduct between Dube and a minor, reported to have occurred several years earlier.

Dube was placed on administrative leave and later resigned during the investigation. After additional information was reported to the sheriff’s office on March 22, 2025, Arkansas State Police conducted interviews, arrested Dube and charged him with sexually grooming a child and rape. He was immediately terminated from the sheriff’s office, where he had worked for about 12 years.

As part of the negotiated plea, prosecutors dismissed two counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of sexually grooming a child. Dube must register as a sex offender, have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family, and pay court costs and fees, including a $100 child advocate fee.