40 years term for abduction

Saturday, December 15, 2012

— A Faulkner County Circuit Court jury convicted a Conway man late Thursday of kidnapping and other crimes related to his theft of a Skittles-painted car and the abduction of its owner last year, a prosecutor said Friday.

Luke Spencer, 24, was convicted of one count of aggravated residential burglary, two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of kidnapping and two counts of felony theft of property.

Spencer will have to serve 40 years for the crimes and cannot be released earlierbecause of a previous battery conviction, Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland said.

Spencer’s co-defendant, Garrius Davis, has a pretrial hearing Monday.

According to Hiland, on May 17, 2011, Spencer broke into a home and, along with the co-defendant, tied up the vehicle’s owner, Robert Rodgers, 24, and a pregnant woman at gunpoint.

Hiland said Spencer and Davis then put Rodgers into the car, which looks like a big green piece of Skittles candy, and fled the scene.

Hiland said Rodgers suffered minor injuries.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 10 on 12/15/2012