2 women arrested in robberies in Chenal Parkway business parking lots

Kelly Peppard, left, and Charity Delaughter
Kelly Peppard, left, and Charity Delaughter

A woman robbed two women who were sitting in cars outside Chenal Parkway businesses Monday night, approaching their vehicles and asking for directions before drawing a gun, authorities said.

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The suspect in both robberies, Kelly Peppard, 39, of Benton, was arrested later Monday night, and police said authorities are investigating whether she also was involved in an attempted robbery earlier in December in the parking garage at Park Plaza mall. A second woman, Charity Delaughter, 39, also was arrested.

According to a police report, the first victim was sitting in her car outside the Target at 12700 Chenal Parkway. Sometime around 10:10 p.m., a woman approached the car and asked for directions. She then pointed a gun at the victim and demanded her purse, police said.

The victim surrendered the purse, which contained four credit cards, an iPhone and her identification, the report said. The victim told police a white Chevrolet Tahoe then pulled up behind her car, and the assailant got in that vehicle and it drove off.

The second victim told police she was robbed minutes later while she sat in her car outside Bravo Cucina Italiana at 17815 Chenal Parkway in the Promenade at Chenal shopping center, which is a little more than 3 miles from the Target.

A police report in that holdup said a woman approached the victim's car and asked for directions. The robber then pulled out a small pistol and ordered the victim to hand over her purse, police said. The victim said she didn't have anything, and the woman became "irate," demanding the victim give her something, according to the report.

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The robber then took the victim's two gold rings, her Samsung cellphone and her debit card, police said. Two witnesses told police they saw the woman get into the Tahoe from the earlier robbery.

Shortly after the robbery, police found the Tahoe at 1600 Pleasant Ridge Road and took Peppard and Delaughter into custody. Delaughter was purported to be the driver in the robberies. Upon her arrest, police said Peppard had a ring that matched the description of one taken from the second victim. According to the report, Delaughter had a pistol and a bag of "green vegetable matter."

Peppard also is being investigated in a Dec. 3 robbery attempt at a Park Plaza parking garage in which an assailant pointed a gun at three women and demanded their purses. Lt. Steve McClanahan, a spokesman for Little Rock police, said the department's robbery unit is investigating Peppard as a possible suspect in that case.

In Monday's robberies, Peppard was charged with two counts each of aggravated robbery and theft of property. Delaughter faces the same charges plus charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms and marijuana possession.

Online records show both were booked into the Pulaski County jail early Tuesday. Each woman was being held without bail.

Metro on 12/14/2016

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