Man Accused Of Threats Over Phone

Fennell Held On $350,000 Bond

— A Bella Vista man was arrested Thursday in connection with threats made during a phone conversation with state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs.

Ronald Vince Fennell, 46, is charged with terroristic threatening, a Class D felony; and carrying a weapon and possession of a loaded weapon, both misdemeanors.

Prosecutors filed a formal charge of terroristic threatening in the first degree against Fennell on Friday. Fennell faces up to six years in prison if convicted on the felony.

The Jan. 18 telephone conversation between Fennell and Hester lasted for 30 minutes, according to the arrest aff davit. Fennell complained to Hester about the B entonville Police Department. He accused department employees of telling lies and committing perjury, according to the aff davit.

Fennell told Hester he had been bullied and his career had been ruined, according to court documents. He told Hester, “If information like this gets out to the public, that’s what makes people go into courthouses and police departments with assaultweapons,” according to the aff davit.

“I don’t want things to go where they are going, ruining careers,punishing people, laying waste, creating travesty,” Fennell told Hester, according to the aff davit.

Bentonville police arrested Fennell twice in recent years, leading to a conviction in March on two counts of harassment stemming from the separate incidents. The first offense occurred in December 2010 during a fundraising event at Cooper Elementary School in Bella Vista. The second incident occurred in summer 2011 when Fennell was accused of harassing workers at a public pool in Bentonville, according to court documents.

Fennell appealed his 2012 convictions to Benton County Circuit Court. The appeal case was suspended pending a mental evaluation for Fennell. Prosecutor Van Stone said Fennell walked out of one evaluation at Ozark Guidance and canceled another evaluation.

Hester notified police of the conversation because Fennell seemed unstable, according to the aff davit. An arrest warrant for Fennell was issued Thursday.

Bella Vista police assisted Arkansas State Police in finding Fennell on Thursday night. Bella Vista off cer David Lopez saw Fennell traveling on Bella Vista Way and stopped him. Fennell was taken into custody and his vehicle was searched.Officers found nunchucks, a small baseball bat and a loaded .38 handgun in the front passenger seat, according to the aff davit.

Fennell told officers he hadn’t carried a firearm in three years, but he had the weapon at the time of thetraff c stop because “he went and picked up vodka and he guessed that officers were looking for him,” according to the aff davit.

On Friday morning, Circuit Judge Robin Green found Fennell in contempt of court in connection with the missedmental evaluation.

Green ordered Fennell held on a $350,000 bond in connection with his latest arrest. His next court date is set for 8 a.m. March 25. Green also ordered Fennell to remain in jail until his March court appearance.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 01/26/2013

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