Proposed Ordinance Passes 1st Reading In Sebastian Co

Earlier last week, the first reading of an emergency ordinance was passed by the Sebastian County Quorum Court with an 8-5 vote.  The ordinance is to update a no smoking, no tobac- co policy for county-owned property.  The original ordinance was created in 1991.  It would be adapted to the changes made in state and federal smoking laws since that time.

The banning of all tobacco products would include cigars, cigarettes, e-cigarettes, pipes, smokeless tobacco and vapor products.  The ordinance proposes that these products be banned in and around any county-owned buildings, offices and recreational facilities.

There would be fines implemented against anyone violating the non-smoking/no tobacco policy.  For the first offense, the fine would be a maximum of $25, $50 for the second and a $100 for the third offense.  It would be $250 for any subsequent offense.

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Fall Cleanup Campaign In Sebastian County

The Sebastian County Fall Cleanup Campaign is set to begin Saturday, September 19 and will continue every Saturday thru October 24.  The purpose of the campaign is to help stop illegal dump sites from being created by placing dumpsters at various locations throughout the cou- nty.

Items that will not be accepted are:  cleaning chemicals, herbicides, tires, used oil and yard waste.  The dumpsters will be staffed to ensure that the landfill regulations are followed.  Sebastian County Judge David Hudson is asking for volunteers to participate in the Cleanup Campaign for litter pickup.  For more information, call the Sebastian County Coordinator at 479-452-4104 or the County Judge's Office at 479-783-6139.

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Suspects Sought In Walmart Robbery

Three men who are suspects in a robbery of a Ft. Smith Walmart, are being sought by police.  The suspects, who appear to be between  20 and 30 years-old, entered the Wal- mart located at 2425 Zero Street and took $6,655 worth of jewelry.  According to an inci- dent report, they used a tool to pry open two jewelry cases.  The incident happened be- tween 10:04 p.m.-10:24 p.m. on August 27th.

The Police Department stated the suspects were shown on surveillance footage, leaving the parking lot in a white 4-door older model Mercedes with Oklahoma tags.  Anyone with any information regarding the crime is asked to call the Ft. Smith Police Department at 479-709- 5100 or 78-CRIME.

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Car Collides With Semi On Bridge

Tuesday evening on the Garrison Ave bridge on Highway 64, a car collided with a tractor-trailer.  According to Moffett Police Chief Riley Brooks, the driver of a Pontiac Sunfire had to be extracted by the "jaws of life" after the driver of a Hiland Dairy truck crashed into him.  It crushed the back of the car.

The driver of the Pontiac was transported to Sparks Regional Medical Center.  Brooks said the driver's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.  The semi driver was not in- jured.

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Woman Arrested After Asking Police For A Ride

Ft. Smith Police were patrolling the area of N. 9th Street when they were approached by Sasha F. Riddle.  According to an arrest report, Riddle 24, of the 300 block of N. 11th  Street, told the officers that a man that was walking with her began to scare her.  She     told them she had just met the man at a convenience store and they were on their way       to get a motel room together.

Riddle asked the police officers if they would give her a ride.  They responded that they would.  However, for safety measures, they needed to check her purse first.  The report stated upon searching the purse, they found $108 in counterfeit money, marijuana, meth- amphetamine, more than twelve drug paraphernalia items, along with nine unidentified pills.

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Woman Discovers Man Sitting In Her Car

Joshua Holder of Ft. Smith was arrested after a woman discovered him sitting in her car at her Ft. Smith residence.  According to the police report, when the woman and her father went to approach Holder, they saw her wallet underneath his shirt.  They also observed items strewn about inside the vehicle, along with pills on the back floorboard.  The woman's pre- scription medication bottle was missing, as well as some coins and miscellaneous items.

Holder, 26, told an officer that he had gotten into the car to rest.  He then decided to take some things.  After searching Holder's pockets, police found the stolen items.  He was trans- ported to jail.

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School Board Concerned About Impact Of Charter School

At the Ft. Smith School Board meeting held Monday, September 14th, Trish Flanagan, founder of a proposed charter school, was asked questions by Board members.  There is a concern by members of the loss of state funding due to the loss of students to the charter school.  Potentially, they could experience a loss of up to $1 million.

The Future School of Ft. Smith is proposed as a tuition-free, open enrollment charter school for grades 10-12.  An application has been filed with the Arkansas Department of Educa- tion.  Pending their approval, the school would open with 150 tenth grade students, adding 150 per year until grades 10-12 are filled, according to Flanagan.

Benny Gooden, Superintendent, stated that the School Board has the option to support, oppose or take no stance regarding the charter school.  The members of the School Board opted to make their decision on September 28, which is the Board's next monthly meeting.

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Update: Greenwood Woman Sentenced

Brooke Floyd of Greenwood was sentenced to ten years probation Friday, September 11th after pleading guilty to felony manslaughter.  Floyd was accused in the death of her 10 month-old son, Harper Alexander Floyd in July of last year.

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Good Samaritan Helps Deputy

A LeFlore County Sheriff's Deputy received a pleasant surprise while attempting to fuel his vehicle.  According to a LeFlore County Sheriff Department Facebook post, a man paid for the deputy's fuel after noticing that the deputy had issues with his fuel card.  The man, a biker who came for the H.O.G. bike rally, said paying for the patrol unit's fuel was just a thank you to the deputy for doing his job and serving the county.  He declined to give his name.

The deputy would have had to call his supervisor to bring him another card and then wait for someone to bring it to the gas station.  Sheriff Rob Seale said that the gas station clerk also reported that the man was a veteran.  However, without a name that could not be confirm- ed.  Seale also said this kind of support means a lot to him and his deputies.

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Amber Alert Issued On False Report

An Amber Alert was issued Sunday, September 13th in Ft. Smith when David Castillo-Mauricio, 2 years-old, went missing.  The child's mother told police he disappeared while he was playing in his front yard at 3606 Marshall Drive.

Several hours were spent trying to locate 29 year-old Raul Mauricio-Parga, the boy's father, who was identified as a suspect in the case.  According to Ft. Smith Police Detective Michael McCoy, at approximately 1:20 a.m. Monday, September 14th, the Amber Alert was inactiva- ted due to it being discovered that the child and his father were in Mexico and had not been in Ft. Smith.  The missing child report was false.

McCoy said the child had been in the father's custody for at least two months.  He also said it will be up to the prosecuting attorney to decide if charges will be filed against the mother.

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Former U. S. Attorney To Run For Senate

On September 9th, Conner Eldridge, former U. S. Attorney, announced that he will be seeking the Democratic nomination for the U. S. Senate seat in the 2016 election.          John Boozman, Republican, currently holds the position.  In a news release, Eldridge said "Washington is broken.  I'm running for the Senate because I'm committed to doing every- thing I can to fix it for Arkansas and for our country."

Eldridge resigned on August 21st after serving almost five years as U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.  He and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, have three sons, Will 8, Henry 4 and Tull 3.  They moved from Arkadelphia to Ft. Smith.  Then after becoming U. S. Attorney, they moved to Fayetteville.

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Rheem Celebrates 45 Years In Ft. Smith

On September 10th, employees at the Rheem facility celebrated being in Ft. Smith for 45 years.  Rheem is a heating and air conditioning company.

Mike Branson, Vice President and General Manager of Rheem's air conditioning division, said that millions of dollars are being invested in the facility by the company to make changes.  Included in those is the re-designing of the inside.  Also, Branson said they are working on re-designing every product manufactured in Ft. Smith.

Rheem started in business ninety years ago.

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Associate Pastor Pleaded Guilty Of Fraud

Thomas Edward James, a part-time associate pastor at St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Ft. Smith, has pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of making a false tax return.  A release from Kenneth Elser, acting U. S. Attorney of the Western District of Arkansas, stated that James, 34, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding investors of appro- ximately $200,000.

According to the release, James approached potential investors, a majority of whom were retired and members of St. James, with proposals to make investments through him.  He then fraudulently induced investors to invest funds through false representations that their funds would be invested in a U. S. Treasury Bond, which were insured and guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.

The release also stated he admitted to filing false tax returns from 2008-2012 and owing the U. S. additional taxes totaling $205,566.46.

James was previously terminated from Merrill Lynch as a broker.

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Plans To Build New Greenwood EMS Facility

The Emergency Medical Services in Greenwood has been operating out of its present facility since the 1970's.  It has become nonfunctional and crowded.  Not only does the EMS staff perform their duties there, but ambulances and EMS equipment are stored in the building.  There are plans by the Sebastian County government to construct a new one.

Emergency medical response for all residents outside the cities of Barling and Ft. Smith is the responsibility of the Sebastian County EMS.  Over the years the service has grown from one unit and crew to two units, seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.  With the growth came more staff and more equipment to house.  According to Sebastian County Judge David Hudson, there is a budget of $1.2 million for the project and it will be built in collaboration with an outside professional.  No start date has been scheduled.

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Police Say Many Burglaries Avoidable

Thirty-five residential burglaries have been reported to the Ft. Smith Police Department since the middle of August this year.  Police say many are avoidable.  Police Sargent Daniel Grubbs states that an area less visible from the public view is the most common entry point for a burglary.  30% of burglars will enter a residence thru an unlocked door or window or other opening, using no force.

You can decrease your risk of a burglary.  Grubbs said lock all your windows and doors when you are gone, leave a radio or television on so that it will appear someone is home and ask neighbors to keep watch for you.  Also, to keep your possessions from being seen, close the blinds and curtains.

Ft. Smith is high on the charts for burglaries per capit, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations and city-data.com. 

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Southside Mascot Committee Formed

A committee has been formed to come up with a new mascot for the Southside High School.  It consists of Principal Wayne Haver as the chairman and twenty-eight other members made up of alumni, faculty and students.

A school district news release stated the work of the committee may be done by the begin- ning of the 2016-2017 school year.

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Human Remains Found In Sebastian Co Identified

On August 26, human remains were discovered in Sebastian County.  The body was found by a man who was brush hogging a field between Highway 45 and Highway 253.  According to Ft. Smith Police Sargent Daniel Grubbs, the body has been identified as William Buchanan, who has been reported missing since June of this year.

Public Information officer of the Sebastian County Sheriff's Office, Lieutenant Phillip Peve- house said no foul play was suspected.

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Partial Gag Order Granted In Murder Case

Circuit Court Judge Stephen Tabor granted a partial gag order in the first degree murder case of John Paul Suleski.  Tabor granted a defense motion to prohibit defense counsel, the prosecutor's office, law enforcement, state medical examiner and personnel from the Arkan- sas Crime Lab from commenting on the subject matter of the case to any media outlet while the case is ongoing.  The defense motion asking portions of the investigative file to be seal- ed was denied by Tabor.

Suleski, 25, is charged in the shooting death of 44 year-old Brent Allen of Ft. Smith on July 11th of this year.  In a police report it was stated that Suleski said he drove to Wells Lake Road and was initially going to shoot himself, but couldn't.  He saw Allen jogging by and fired one round.  In the report, Suleski stated he then proceeded to fire several more times.  The incident took place between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Suleski faces charges of first degree murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle. 

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Ft. Smith Wholesale Water Customers Discussed

A discussion regarding contracts with wholesale customers was held by the Ft. Smith Board of Directors early last week.  At present there are thirteen wholesale water customers.  One of them is negotiating a new contract.  Six of them have contracts that have lapsed, with the remaining six customers having current contracts.  Ft. Chaffee, Mountainburg and Van Buren are some of the City's customers.

The debate is whether or not the City should push for contract renewals.  To encourage con- tracts, some of the directors want to charge those who opt out, more.  Kevin Settle, At- Large Director, asked the question of why is water supplied to cities who do not have a con- tract.  At-Large Director Tracy Pennartz said she thinks that as a regional city, they have a responsibility to their sister cities.  She also said, in some sense, there is nothing ethically wrong with charging somebody at cost, rather than making a net profit margin on the sale of the water.  Keith Lau, Ward 1 Director, said he did not see a benefit to service contracts.

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Memorial To Be Held For Ft. Smith Homicide Victim

On September 13th, a memorial service will be held in Ft. Smith.  It is in memory of Briana Jane Ault.  Ault, 22, was a homicide victim in 2010.  According to a police report, her body was discovered on September 13, 2010 in a pond located in Pocola.  Her throat had been cut.  Johnathen Don Thacker and Elvis Aaron Thacker, both of Cedarville, are charged with Ault's murder.

The event was organized by Briana's mother, Bethany Ault-Pyle.  She said she is doing it because she believes her daughter has gotten lost due to too much attention toward the Thacker brothers.  Ault-Pyle also said it was part of the healing process for her.  The service will be held from 3-4 p.m. at Central Christian Church located at 400 N. Waldron Road.

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New eVersity Accepting Applications

On September 8, applications began being accepted by the University of Arkansas System for the state's first online-only university.  According to a press release from the University of Arkansas System, included in the eVersity's initial degree programs are business, criminal justice, general studies, healthcare management and information technology.

With each field of study there will be multiple degree options.  Faculty at the U of A System institutions will develop and teach each course.

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Arkoma Man Arrested After Motorcycle Crash

Russell Garrett of Arkoma was arrested September 7th after he wrecked his motorcycle at around 3:30 a.m.  According to Ft. Smith Police Sargent Jason Thompson, Garrett 46, was traveling west on S. Y Street, just past the Wheeler Ave intersection, when he drove his motorcycle off the road to the right, crashing it into a ditch.

Garrett was the only person involved and he was not injured, police said.  He was given a sobriety test after admitting he had been drinking.  Garrett failed the test and was then placed under arrest on suspicion of driving while intoxicated and careless driving.

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Attorney General Warns Of Danger From Apps

A consumer report has been published by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge alerting people to the danger of some phone apps.  Personal information can be stolen from phones.  Apps downloaded from sources that have not been verified can allow cybercriminals access to your information, then using it for their own purposes.

She said apps can be very convenient, but depending on the phone's security settings, app companies can collect personal information such as call logs, phone and email contacts, texts, calendar dates and the device's location.  They can then sell the information to an- other company.

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Hit & Run At Ft. Smith Intersection

September 7, there was a hit and run accident at the intersection of 37th & L Streets in Ft. Smith.  According to police, a blue Chevy Silverado collided with a beige Chevy Trailblazer when one of the vehicles ran a stop sign.  Before officers arrived, the driver of the Trail- blazer and a passenger, fled the scene in another vehicle.

The passengers of the Chevy Trailblazer are being sought by police.  The driver of the Chevy Silverado received minor injuries and was transported to a hospital.  There was one passen- ger who was uninjured.

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Former Tyson Employee Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud

Brenda Ann Blair of Gentry, a former employee of Tyson Foods, has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.  According to a press release from the U. S. District Court in Fayette- ville, Blair 47, implemented a scheme where she defrauded the company for a period of over nine years.  Court records showed that the crime took place from June 2005 thru September 2014.  The money amount was more than $550,000.

Before her termination, she worked at the company for over twenty-five years.  Blair mana- ged Tyson's health benefits plan, which she used to arrange fraudulent wire transfers to her bank account.  Blair said she had no accomplices.

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Prayer Vigil Held In Ft. Smith & Van Buren

On September 4, a prayer meeting was held at the Ft. Smith Police Department.  It was organized by Mike Nichols, along with several area church leaders.  There were approximat- ely 100 people in attendance including Ft. Smith Police Officers, Police Chief Kevin Lindsey and Captain Levi Risely, along with Sebastian County Sheriff's Deputies.

Nichols said "We need this to show that there are more supporters of our law enforcement, than those against them.  We need unity and not division and we want that for this city."  At noon on the same day, a prayer meeting took place at the Van Buren Police Department.

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Alma Woman Attempts To Stop Car Thief

26 year-old Anthony Sirmon of Crawford County is facing charges of suspicion of aggravated assault.  According to an arrest report, he went to a house in the 4800 block of Red Hill Road in Alma and proceeded to take the victim's car keys.  Sirmon, who was intoxicated at the time, then attempted to leave in the woman's vehicle.

The victim jumped into the car and tried to get the keys out of the ignition.  Sirmon accel- erated, causing the woman to be thrown out of the vehicle and into a wooden fence post.  The report stated she was not taken to the hospital.  The incident was witnessed by a neigh- bor.

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Arrest Made In Ft. Smith Stabbing

Roger Dale Blasingame has been arrested as a suspect in a stabbing that took place August 26.  According to a news release from the Ft. Smith Police Department, Blasingame, 41, stabbed Jeremy Smith, 45, during an argument.  The incident took place in the parking lot of the Ft. Smith Motel located at 2312 Midland Boulevard.

Blasingame was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center.  He was held on a $10,000 bond.

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Investigation Into Fire At Ft. Smith Business

There is an ongoing investigation into a fire that occurred on September 2 at the Ft. Smith Waste Paper Company.  It is located on N. 2nd Street between C Street and D Street.  There was a body discovered in the building that has been identified as that of 56 year-old Stephen Gately.

According to police, the medical examiner is working to determine the cause of death.  The fire was extinguished quickly.

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7 Yr-Old Injured On Cedarville School Playground

On August 18, Zach Moore, 7 years old, was found on the Cedarville Elementary playground with a bench laying on top of him.  According to Zach's mother, Brooke Moore, he had an artery bleeding behind his eye and multiple skull fractures with swelling on the brain.

Zach was taken to Children's Hospital in Little Rock.  Brooke Moore said he is doing a little better every day.  It is not known what happened, she said.  They have filed a freedom of information request for a copy of what was recorded on the playground surveillance came- ras.  'Keep Out " and "Danger" signs have been posted around the playground.

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Cedarville Woman Arrested

22-year old Ashley Owens of Cedarville has been arrested on suspicion of felony second degree battery and misdemeanor interference with emergency communications.  Owens allegedly caused a family member to break a hip.

According to an arrest report, Mercy-Ft. Smith nursing staff called police regarding a domestic violence report from Erma Richmond.  Richmond told police she and Owens had gotten into an argument and that Owens hit her form the side, causing her to fall onto her hip.  She claims Owens would not allow her to call for help for over an hour. Police were told by Owens that Richmond had tripped over a toy.

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Charges Filed Against Man Who Crashed Into House

Raylon Triplett of Ft. Smith has had six felony charges filed against him.  Triplett, 25, is accused of fleeing a traffic stop, then crashing his vehicle into a house.  The formal felo-   ny charges were filed September 2 by Dan Shue, Prosecuting Attorney.  Included in those charges are aggravated assault and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The incident took place on August 29 when a deputy with the Sebastian County Sheriff's office attempted to pull Triplett over near the intersection of S. 31st St & U. S. 71.  He acted as if he was going to stop.  However, he sped off when he turned onto Cavanaugh Road.  Triplett proceeded thru the 8600 block of the Meadow Drive neighborhood in Ft. Smith.  He then lost control of his vehicle, crashing into a residence.  The girl who lived in the house was standing in the driveway area at the time of the incident.  She sustained minor injuries.

Triplett has been released from the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center on a $50,000 bond.  He is to appear in court September 9.  Shue said Triplett is seeking to hire his own attorney.

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Three Mountainburg Women Arrested

Brooke Chue 20, Jaqueline McClarty 65 and Donna Miles 54, all of Mountainburg, have been arrested in connection with several drug and firearm felony charges.  The three were arres- ted after the residence, located in the 1800 block of AR 348 N, was searched by the Craw- ford County Criminal Investigation Division and agents with the Drug Task Force.  According to Crawford County Sheriff's Chief Jim Damante, they discovered ten to twelve guns during the search along with an undisclosed amount of drugs. 

On September 2, Miles was released on a $15,000 bond and McClarty was released on a $10,000 bond.  As of September 3, Chue remained in the Crawford County Detention Cen- ter in lieu of a $7,500 bond.

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Ft. Smith Fire Chief Retiring

On October 30, Mike Richards, Ft. Smith Fire Chief, will be retiring.  Richards has been in that position since 2009.  He has been with the department for over 32 years.  He stated in his letter of resignation that he will be working with the Fire Department staff, as well as other departments of the city to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Other city officials that have retired, or are going to, are Ray Gosack, City Administrator and City Finance Director Kara Bushkuhl.  Gosack retired in August after 16 years with the city.  Bushkuhl is planning to retire exactly 35 years from the day she was hired, which is on October 6.

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Ft. Smith Police Chief Requesting New Tasers

Ft. Smith Police Chief Kevin Lindsey is going to request approval from the Board of Direct- ors, in the 2016 budget, to purchase 150 tasers.  Currently, the department has 148 tasers which are five years old and are at the end of their life-cycle, Lindsey said.  The cost of the latest model of Tasers would be approximately $2,300 each.  The new ones would record video in HD and in color.  The ones currently being used record in black and white.  Audio is recorded by both models.

A 5 year lease-purchase plan is what Lindsey is purposing.  For the first year it would be at the cost of between $250,000 - $300,000.  Then, approximately $47,000 over the remaining four years.


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New Greenwood Police Dept. Near Completion

By the end of the month, the Greenwood Police Department will be moving into their new facility.  The department first started out in a remodeled house, then they moved into City Hall, where they have been for approximately 10 years.  Captain Richie Wolford said they will now be able to place people in one of two new holding cells, instead of handcuffing them to a bench in City Hall.

The new building will also have an evidence room, a refrigerated area for different biological specimens that may need to be submitted and a $4,000 fingerprint fuming station, which they do not have at their current location.  A 20-year quarter cent sales tax is paying for the new facility.  The fuming station was funded by a grant.  The date set for employees to start working at the new location is September 21.

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Sapper Stakes Competition Held At Ft. Chaffee

For three days, twenty combat engineer teams, from both the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, were at Ft. Chaffee to compete in the 2nd Annual Sapper Stakes Competi- tion.  The teams totaled more than one hundred soldiers.  They are some of the best Army Combat Engineer Teams from across the country.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Ikenberry, they are putting their teamwork and knowledge of explosives, weapons, route clearance and urban welfare to the test.  They ended the competition with an awards banquet Wednesday, September 2.

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Great American Milk Drive

The Great American Milk Drive began Monday, August 31 and will run thru September 26.  It is being held in conjunction with September being Hunger Action Month.  The Milk Drive is being held at CV's and Marvin Saver's Club.  Customers will be asked if they want to donate $1, $3 or $5 when they go to check out at the register.  The money will go directly to food banks in the form of vouchers.  The River Valley Food Bank will then give  vouchers for a gallon of milk to families in need.

Ken Kupchick with the River Valley Regional Food Bank said the Food Bank is always in need of food, and milk is one of the items most requested by families.

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Top Paralympic Sprinter Comes To Ft. Smith

On Monday, August 31 Jerome Singleton, the top Paralympic sprinter in the world, was in Ft. Smith.  He lives in Boston, but came to Ft. Smith to work with Francois Van Der Watt, who is with Total Rehabilitation, Inc.  Van Der Watt made sure that Singleton's prosthetic leg is in perfect condition. 

Singleton has won many titles. In 2011, he won the 100 meter world championship, beating Oscar Pistorius who, at that time, hadn't lost a race in seven years.  Singleton was born with a defect.  His tibia didn't grow all the way, causing him to not have an inner ankle bone.  His leg was amputated when he was one and a half years old.

Van Der Watt and Singleton are getting ready for the world championship in October.  This weekend, they are going to California to a training camp.

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Two Suspects Arrested In Vehicle Break-Ins

Michael Shane Patterson of Ft. Smith and Joshua Moses of Van Buren have both been a- rrested for their connection in twenty vehicle break-ins which took place at Canterbury Cove, Riley Farms and Williamson Place.  According to an arrest report, Moses, 20, ad- mitted to police his involvement in approximately fifteen of the crimes.

Ft. Smith Police Department was informed by Patterson, 18, that there were two other men involved with them.  As of August 28, there had been no arrest of those two men.

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Arrest In Connection With Ft. Smith Shooting

18 year-old Brandon Mathis was arrested by Ft. Smith Police in connection with a shooting which took place Thursday, August 27.  At approximately 6:52 a.m. the next day, a tip was received by police that Mathis was seen on foot near a convenience store located at the in- tersection of Grand Ave & N. Albert Pike.  He was found by officers and taken into custody without incident.

The shooting happened at 11:31 a.m. Thursday in the 2100 block of N. I Street.  Mathis allegedly shot Gustavo Delgado, 28, in the arm and leg.  It is believed by authorities that there was an ongoing dispute between two couples when the shooting occurred.  According to officers on the scene, Mathis then fled in a white 4-door Impala. 

He is being held on a $250,000 bond at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center on suspicion of first degree battery.

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Bear Cub Stuck In Tree In Greenwood

Monday a little after 12 p.m. on Dogwood Street in Greenwood, Denise Hurd saw a black bear cub in her backyard.  The cub was stuck in a tree.  It was decided by Myron Means, with the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission, that to tranquilize the bear with a dart gun was the best strategy.

The cub was set free just south of Booneville.

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Driver Crashes Car Into Ft. Smith Residence

On Saturday, a Sebastian County Deputy attempted to stop a car just after midnight at the intersection of S. 31st & Hwy 71 S.  According to a release from the Sebastian County Sheriff's office, the suspect indicated at first that he was going to stop.  However, he fled when he turned west onto Cavanaugh.

The suspect then proceeded south thru neighborhoods.  He lost control of the vehicle, at which time he crashed into a house located in the 8600 block of Meadow Drive in Ft. Smith.

The female resident of the home was in the driveway when the crash occurred.  She suffered only minor injuries.  The suspect, Raylon Triplett, 25 of Ft. Smith, attempted to flee on foot.  However, Triplett was arrested.  He faces numerous charges including driving with a suspended license, simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm and first degree battery in relation to the injuries sustained by the resident of the home.

The house sustained major damage.  Also damaged was received by two cars in the drive- way, according to Lieutenant Phillip Pevehouse.

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Arrests Made After High-Speed Chase

Jeremy Dykes, 36 of Booneville and Jessica Wheeler, 27 of Ft. Smith, have been arrested in connection with a shoplifting incident on Saturday.  A high-speed chase began near an auto parts store on Fayetteville Road in Van Buren and ended in Ft. Smith.

According to Detective Jonathan Wear of the Van Buren Police Department, the vehicle stopped at a cemetery behind the State Police office after exiting on Kelley Hwy.  The       two suspects proceeded to flee on foot.

Wheeler was arrested at the cemetery and Dykes, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested behind a Walmart.  They were both placed in the Crawford County Detention Center.

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Roland Police Car Involved In Crash

A Roland Police car was involved in a 2-vehicle accident on Hwy 64 Friday.  According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the police car was in the westbound lane on Hwy 64, driving at a high rate of speed, when it rear-ended a vehicle that had pulled out at a stop sign.

No citations were issued, as OHP officials suggested the police car may have been in pursuit of another vehicle.

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Black Bear In Booneville

According to a Facebook post on the Booneville Police Department's page, Friday morning there was a black bear spotted inside the city limits near Hill St & Moore Ave.  It was stated in the post that the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission attempted to drive the bear further east, hoping it would continue in that direction and leave the city.

Citizens are asked by the Booneville Police to call the department if they spot the bear inside the city so that further action can be taken.

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Hearing Set In Muldrow Stabbing Case

A preliminary court hearing has been set for September 24 at 9 a.m. for Tyler Chapman of Muldrow.  Chapman, 22, along with 38 year-old Reeves Gentry, was arrested in connection with the stabbing of Joseph Morton of Muldrow.

The incident took place on August 1 at the Cottage Apartments at 303 East Shawntel Smith Blvd.  Morton had been placed in the intensive care unit at Sparks Regional Medical Center after the incident.  However, his current condition is unknown.

A court date of September 2 has been set for Gentry.

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