The state/region in brief

3 Arkansans killed in accidents

Three Arkansans, including a 2-year-old girl, were killed this week as they traveled on state roads.

Sheila Karow, 41, of Fort Smith; Luther Fred Dorsey, 67, of Warren; and Emily Pearson, 2, of Green Forest died in separate accidents, according to Arkansas State Police fatalcrash reports.

About 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Karow was southbound on Arkansas 1 near Cross County Road 206, when her vehicle veered off the road and struck a ditch. Her 1992 Toyota Corolla rolled over, according to the report.

Karow died from injuries suffered in the accident.

About 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, Wendie Pearson, 23, of Green Forest, was driving south on Arkansas 311, just north of Green Forest, when she failed to negotiate a curve, and her vehicle left the highway, state police said. She overcorrected, drove back onto the highway, overcorrected again, and her vehicle struck a tree, state police said.

Emily Pearson, a passenger in the vehicle, died from injuries suffered in the crash.

Wendie Pearson was admitted to Skaggs Regional Medical Center in Branson.

Her condition was unknown Wednesday night. Kyle Pearson, 1, another passenger in the vehicle was uninjured.

In the third accident, Dorsey was southbound on U.S. 63, about a mile north of Arkansas 35, about 11:40 a.m.

Wednesday when he drove into northbound lanes and across a ditch before his vehicle crashed into a tree and into a creek, state police said.

He died at the scene.

  • ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Man held after buried body found

A Dallas County man was jailed on a second-degree murder charge Wednesday after authorities found the body of his stepsister in a shallow grave Tuesday.

Capt. Chuck Barker with the Dallas County sheriff’s office said Wednesday that John Aldrich, 25, of Fordyce confessed to killing and burying Nancy Harvill, 34, beneath the dirt floor of a shed in October 2011.

The shed sits behind a home at 702 N. Spring St. in Fordyce, Barker said, adding that family members of the victim and the suspect have lived at the address in the past, and at least one still resides there.

After his arrest by Dallas County sheriff’s deputies, Aldrich was being held at the Dallas County jail Wednesday in lieu of $250,000 bond.

Barker said Aldrich and Harvill had been in an argument that “became really heated, and things just went too far.”

The preliminary cause of death is strangulation, Barker said. The remains have been sent to the state Crime Laboratory for identification and to confirm the cause of death.

Aldrich’s confession followed a tip given to police by Aldrich’s brother, Barker said.

“Apparently there was some kind of recent argument between the two men, and Aldrich’s brother provided information that led us to the body.”

Barker said Harvill had not been reported missing by her family.

The preliminary investigation shows that most of Harvill’s family “thought she had run off,” Barker said. Care of Harvill’s two children was signed over to her stepmother six months before her death, he said.

“Right now we are still looking at all of the details in this case to determine why the family never reported her missing,” Barker said. “But at this time we don’t suspect anyone else had a direct connection to [Harvill’s death].” - ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Accident at plant

kills 1 in Armorel

ARMOREL - A man was killed Saturday in an industrial accident at a plant in northeast Arkansas.

Officials said the accident happened at the Precoat Metals plant in Armorel. Company representative Andrew Farrant said the victim was a technician doing maintenance work on a crane.

Farrant told the Blytheville Courier News that the man was pronounced dead after a traumatic accident. No further details were available.

Precoat Metals bought the plant from Roll Coater in September 2011. The company has about 60 employees at the Armorel plant, which is a metal finishing and coating facility.

  • ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Theft case reset in Faulkner County

CONWAY - A status hearing for Faulkner County Administrator Jeff Johnston on two felony theft-of-property charges has been rescheduled for Jan. 30.

The hearing originally was set for Wednesday in Faulkner County Circuit Court.

But after the case was reassigned to Judge Michael Maggio in late December, Maggio ordered that the hearing be delayed.

Johnston, 37, is charged over a 2008 asphalting project on his private driveway.

The prosecution said he used county money to pay for the asphalt. Johnston has said he is innocent.

  • ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 8 on 01/11/2013

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