Former Congressional Candidate Faces Charges

Police pull Abel Tomlinson of Fayetteville from a tree in front of the Washington County Courthouse at College Avenue and Dickson Street on Monday afternoon. Tomlinson was perched in the tree for almost an hour, shouting at passersby and police, before he slipped and police were able to pull him from the lower branches.
Police pull Abel Tomlinson of Fayetteville from a tree in front of the Washington County Courthouse at College Avenue and Dickson Street on Monday afternoon. Tomlinson was perched in the tree for almost an hour, shouting at passersby and police, before he slipped and police were able to pull him from the lower branches.

— A former Congressional candidate faces multiple charges after climbing a maple tree in front of the Washington County Courthouse on Monday afternoon.

Abel Noah Tomlinson, 29, faces charges including disorderly conduct, public intoxication and resisting arrest, according to the police report.

Tomlinson's mother, Fayetteville police officers and Washington County sheriff's deputies tried in vain to talk him down, as he continued to shout rambling, sometimes incoherent and profanity-laced phrases while wearing a suit and tie.

Several officers and deputies pulled Tomlinson out of the tree and arrested him about 4 p.m. after he apparently slipped and fell part of the way down the tree. Shortly before his arrest, Tomlinson had removed his coat, tie and shirt.

"The war on drugs is a war on people like me," Tomlinson shouted from the tree.

He said that he would not come down until charges against him were dropped.

He also faces two counts of felony drug charges of delivery of controlled substances-psilocybin mushrooms. He pleaded not guilty on Feb. 19 and his case is set for trial on May 25.

Washington County Prosecutor John Threet said that he does not know whether Monday's incident will be grounds to revoke Tomlinson's $3,500 bond on the drug charges. He said he will look at the arrest reports and decide later.

Justice of the Peace Butch Pond, who watched the incident while waiting for a finance committee meeting, said he felt bad for Tomlinson's mother and speculated on Tomlinson's reason for climbing the tree.

"He was either taking some kind of drug he wasn't supposed to or else he didn't take some kind of drug he was supposed to," Pond said.

Tomlinson believes he has a legal right because of his religious beliefs to use psilocybin mushrooms, said Jacob Holloway, who described himself as a friend of Tomlinson. Holloway said that he supports Tomlinson's act of civil disobedience.

"He believes that it's a sacred sacrament," said Holloway, a past president of Students for Sensible Drug Policy at the University of Arkansas.

Joanna Pollack, a UA student, said Tomlinson "was driven to civil disobedience by severe social injustices."

Zane Placke, who voted for Tomlinson in 2008, called Tomlinson's tree-based protest ridiculous.

"I can't believe I voted for this guy," Placke said. "This is not way to end the drug war."

Tomlinson ran as a Green Party Candidate against 3rd District Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, in 2008. Tomlinson got 58,850 votes, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, but lost by a nearly 3 to 1 margin. He had previously served as a senator in the University of Arkansas' Associated Student Government.

Gladys Tiffany, 63, of Fayetteville was arrested near the tree after she failed to leave the sidewalk in front of the courthouse as authorities forced a small group people who had gathered to watch Tomlinson to move away from in front of the west side of the courthouse. She faces charges of disorderly conduct, according to jail booking records.

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