Learn the chilling history of the Blue Light Rapist in this true crime story. From November 1995 to July 1997, the state of Arkansas experienced perhaps its first terrorist, a serial rapist. His modus operandi was to stop vehicles driven by lone females late at night, using a dash-mounted blue light to mimic police officers. He would then kidnap the victims at gunpoint and take them to remote locations where he raped them. Despite a dozen rapes and many more blue-light stops, only one man was ever tried and convicted for a handful of these crimes. Was he the only culprit? Is the real Blue Light Rapist still out there? Directly from the files of Arkansas State Police, this book reveals details never released to the public.

Learn the chilling history of the Blue Light Rapist in this true crime story. From November 1995 to July 1997, the state of Arkansas experienced perhaps its first terrorist, a serial rapist. His modus operandi was to stop vehicles driven by lone females late at night, using a dash-mounted blue light to mimic police officers. He would then kidnap the victims at gunpoint and take them to remote locations where he raped them. Despite a dozen rapes and many more blue-light stops, only one man was ever tried and convicted for a handful of these crimes. Was he the only culprit? Is the real Blue Light Rapist still out there? Directly from the files of Arkansas State Police, this book reveals details never released to the public. As the Blue Light Rapist committed more heinous acts, fear spread quickly among all women, as it was unclear where the stalker was operating from and where he might strike again. Women were urged not to stop for blue lights unless they were in a secure location, preferably in a well-lit public area. This one case became "domestic terrorism," long before that term became part of our everyday vernacular. Unmarked police cars were more common back then, mostly to catch speeders or infiltrate bad neighborhoods without arousing suspicion. This one case ended all that as citizens began to wonder if the suspect was truly a law enforcement officer gone bad or merely an imposter. This could have planted some of the seeds of distrust among the citizenry towards law enforcement officers that are so prevalent today. In the American justice system, there is a presumption of innocence for the accused until the facts of the case are proven "beyond a reasonable doubt." Whether represented by a public defender, appointed by a judge, or hiring their own attorneys, the accused has rights to be represented, cannot be forced or coerced into testifying against themselves, and may decide to remain silent or not take the stand in their own defense. They must be able to counter the charges against them by presenting whatever evidence they can provide to prove that they could not have done the things they are accused of doing, whether they were not in proximity to the location of the incidents, had an alibi as to their whereabouts or if it is determined that their mental state was such at the time of the crime that they could not understand the criminality of the offense and thus could not assist in their own defense. All these things must be considered if the scales of justice are to be balanced and a fair trial is had, resulting in justice for society and the victims, and conviction of the actual perpetrator of the crime. Most of the information in this book was provided through an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request to Arkansas State Police. The information is available to anyone as public records.

Timothy John Kessler is a "Baby Boomer," born in 1957 at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, S.D. He graduated from South Dakota State University in Brookings, S.D., in 1979 with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism and a sociology minor. Since then, he worked for 42 years as a newspaper writer, photographer, darkroom technician, sports writer, copy editor and editor of biweekly, weekly and daily newspapers in South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Kentucky and South Carolina, winning several statewide awards. He retired in December 2020 and now freelances in writing and photography, plus genealogy. He collects rocks and minerals, stamps and coins as hobbies. He has served as president of Warren Lions Club and as a Bradley County Chamber of Commerce board member. He has one daughter, Elizabeth Emery, married to Tyler Emery, and one grandson, Justice. He also has two stepchildren, Caitlyn and Brandon Barber. He currently lives in Warren, Arkansas, with his wife, Melinda, and their two sons, Timothy John-Findley and David Wayne Kessler, and their cat, Jasmine.