Update: Ft. Smith Teenage Drowning Victim Identified

The 17 year-old boy from Ft. Smith that drowned on Saturday, May 2 in the Mulberry River, has been identified.  His name is Mariano Solis.  According to his family, he was a student at Northside High School in Ft. Smith.  Solis and three other teens were swimming across the river when he went under and did not come back up.

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Update On Fatal Pedestrian Accident Near Van Buren

The names of two of the people involved in the fatal pedestrian accident Sunday, have been released.  According to Arkansas State Police, the man who was killed was David Seth, 39.  Seth, his wife Rebecca Seth, also 39 and their two children, ages 11 and 12, were walking eastbound on I-40 when they attempted to cross over at mile marker 6 near Van Buren.

Seth and his wife were both hit by a vehicle.  They were then struck again, individually, by two separate cars.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.  She is being treated for a broken leg and a broken arm at Mercy Hospital in Ft. Smith.  The children, who were not injured, are staying with a relative.

All three drivers involved in the accident pulled over, troopers said.  It is not known at this time if any of the drivers were cited.  

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Alma Man Killed In Motorcycle Crash

Richard Gaither, 55 of Alma, was killed Thursday when he crashed his motorcycle into an SUV in Crawford County.  According to Arkansas State Police, at approximately 6:20 p.m., Gai- ther was driving his 2000 Yamaha motorcycle behind a Chevrolet SUV as both vehicles were heading eastbound near Sunnyside Road on Hwy 162.  Gaither's motorcycle hit the driver's side rear wheel of the sport utility vehicle as it was attempting to turn left, causing the mo- torcycle to wreck.

Gaither was pronounced dead on scene by first responders.  There were three people in the SUV, two of them were children.  State troopers said none of them were injured.

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First Steel Horse Motorcycle Rally Draws Thousands

According to organizers of the Steel Horse Motorcycle Rally, there were at least 3,000 bikers at the event.  It began at Harry E. Kelly Park downtown at noon on Friday, with live music as well as vendors selling biker items.  On Saturday at 5 p.m., there was a motorcycle proces- sion that started from the Ft. Smith Park and wound up onto Garrison.

A 'Biker Sunday' was hosted by the Fort City Day Star Riders #378.  Also a worship service was held in the parking lot on the corner of 12th & Garrison by the local members of the Christian Motorcyclists Association.

City Directors were approached at the beginning of the year to help fund the event.  Dennis Snow, director of the Steel Horse Rally, asked the city for $84,000.  The Board of Directors approved the money on January 20.  However, Mayor Sandy Sanders vetoed it on January 26, stating he could not justify using tax dollars on what he feels should be a private-sector event.

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Housing Authority Buys Red Barn Steakhouse Land

The 10-acre property in the 3700 block of Newlon Road in Ft. Smith, on which the Red Barn Steakhouse was located, has been sold.  It has been purchased by the Ft. Smith Housing Authority.  According to Mitch Minnick, development officer for the Housing Authority, the purchase price was $110,000.  Minnick stated that they were approached close to Christmas time by the landowners regarding the site.

The Authority Board believes the land will be good for owner property or a rental property.  Minnick also said it will probably be close to the end of 2016 before anything is done toward development of the land.

The Red Barn Steakhouse was destroyed by fire on July 23 of last year.  The restaurant has three previous owners since its beginning in the 1940's.

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Local Waitress Receives $2,000 Tip

A customer at Logan's Roadhouse, located at 6201 Rogers Ave in Ft. Smith, gave a waitress quite a shock Tuesday, a very pleasant shock.  Waitress Loran Lopez said when the receipt was handed to her, she didn't really look at it.  However, when she did, she said "I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor and my heart stopped."  The very generous patron had given Lopez a $2,000 tip.  She said another employee received a tip of $700 and each cook received a $100 tip.

According to Lopez, she had heard of the customer before, but this was the first time she had served the woman.  Lopez said the customer knew she didn't have to, but wanted to tip everyone who served her while she was there.

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SUV Crashes Into Child's Bedroom

Thursday morning at approximately 6:50 a.m., an SUV crashed into the side of a house on Roosevelt Road in Ft. Smith.  The vehicle hit the side of the residence where a child's bed- room was located.  A child was in the bedroom at the time of the incident, getting ready for school.  By the time he went to find his mother and they went outside, the driver had left the vehicle and got away on foot.

Upon arriving a few minutes after it happened, Ft. Smith Police searched the area, but were unable to find the driver.  After running the tag on the SUV, police discovered it belonged to someone in Broken Arrow.  The owner told investigators he had loaned a man named Terr- ance Washington, the vehicle.  Washington is described as a black male around 40 years-old.

If you have any information on Washington, you are asked to call the Ft. Smith Police De- partment at 479-785-4221 or Crimestoppers at 479-78-CRIME.  Officers say the driver is facing several charges, which include leaving the scene of an accident.

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