Man shot to death during car pursuit
TEXARKANA - A Texarkana man is dead after what police described as a shootout Thursday night a block north of Washington 4-A Academy.
Texarkana police were dispatched about 7:40 p.m.
on a call of shots fired in the 800 block of Pinehurst Street, a block south of East Ninth Street. When officers arrived, they found a blue Grand Marquis up against a fence near the intersection of Pinehurst and Walter streets.
Inside the car was the body of the driver, a man in his early 20s, police spokesman Kristi Mitchell said.
Police withheld the victim’s name pending notification of his relatives.
Officers had to break out the back window on the Grand Marquis to gain entrance, since all doors were locked. A handgun was recovered from the victim’s body, said Mitchell, who confirmed the man had at least one gunshot wound.
Through their investigation, officers learned the shooting stemmed from an altercation earlier in the evening between the victim and others. Witnesses said the victim drove in reverse down Pinehurst as he was being fired upon from a car that was pursuing him.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Masked man robs bank with shotgun
JONESBORO - A man wearing a bandanna over his face and wielding a sawed-off shotgun robbed a Jonesboro branch bank Friday morning, authorities said.
The man, described by police as black, 6 feet tall and wearing a white hooded jacket and a blue or black jacket with writing on the side, entered the Liberty Bank of Jonesboro branch at 765 E. Matthews Ave. shortly after 9 a.m. Friday and pulled a small shotgun out of a backpack.
The man took money from two drawers and then fled, Jonesboro patrolman Chris Perry said in a police report.
There were no injuries.
Police would not release how much money the man stole, said Capt. Lynn Waterworth of the Jonesboro Police Department.
A woman who lives near the bank called police when she saw a man hiding under a pile of leaves in her yard.
He ran before police found him, Perry said in the report. Authorities placed two nearby elementary schools on a brief lockdown while police searched the neighborhood unsuccessfully for the man.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Scrap-metal dealer reports grave theft
PINE BLUFF - Jefferson County authorities said a Pine Bluff man has been arrested in connection with the theft of metal plates from the grave markers of military veterans.
Sheriff’s Maj. Lafayette Woods told KATV, Channel 7, that Harold Lawes, 44, was trying to sell the metal plates for scrap metal.
Woods said said some of the plates are made of brass and can be worth up to $2,000.
Authorities said Lawes took the plates to a scrap metal dealer who, in turn, checked with several cemeteries in the area, learnedof the missing plates and called police.
Online jail records showed Lawes remains jailed in lieu of $25,000 bond.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
Metalwork factory damaged by blaze
HARRISON - Firefighters in Harrison fought a blaze Sunday at Pace Industries.
Boone County Emergency Services Director Mike Smithyman said the fire was reported around 9:20 a.m. Smithyman said there were 30 to 35 employees in the building at the time, but no injuries were reported.
There were no hazardous materials at the plant.
Pace’s website describes the plant as a small die-casting facility that opened in 1970.
Smoke from the fire led officials to briefly shut down the Arkansas 62/65 bypass.
Smithyman said it appears the fire was started when a small aluminum die malfunctioned.
- ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
1 dead, 3 injured after SUV rollover
DOVER - Authorities said one woman was killed and three people were injured after a single-vehicle crash in Pope County.
Arkansas State Police said the wreck happened Sunday afternoon in Dover.
According to a preliminary report, 39-year-old Kristina Davis of Dover was a passenger in an SUV that struck a mailbox, then drove off the road.
State police said the SUV flipped several times before coming to a rest.
Davis was killed in the crash. The driver of the SUV was injured, along with a 4-year-old and a 7-year-old.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS2 officers charged in theft of pet deer
KENSETT - Court records show that two suspended police officers in Kensett are accused of stealing someone’s pet deer.
Authorities were initially tight-lipped about the allegations against Sgt. Debra Bailey and officer Derek Balentine. The Daily Citizen obtained details of the criminal charges through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Bailey is charged with theft of lost property, conspiracy and solicitation.
Balentine is charged with conspiracy.
According to an affidavit, the deer’s owner discovered it missing in September.
The affidavit said Bailey took the deer because it was following people around in Kensett.
Court records allege that Bailey gave the deer to Balentine’s parents even though the owner wanted it back.
The affidavit said Bailey apologized for not following procedure but said she was looking out for the deer’s best interest.
- THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 04/23/2013