A Scott County sheriff's deputy was recovering Wednesday after he was shot in the arm by a man who was arrested later after officers surrounded his rural home, according to the sheriff's office.
Deputy Stacy Wieburg was shot Tuesday afternoon while responding to a report of an intoxicated man driving recklessly near Imogene Road at the Nella community in south Scott County, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
David Bently, 47, was arrested about 2 a.m. Wednesday and was being held without bail in the Scott County jail in Waldron. No charges were filed as of Wednesday afternoon. The Arkansas State Police is investigating the shooting, Sheriff Randy Shores said.
The release said Deputies Wieburg and Jonathan Woodard responded to the report about 5 p.m. Tuesday. Wieburg was the first deputy to arrive at Bently's home. Before he arrived, another call reached the sheriff's office reporting a domestic battery.
Wieburg encountered Bently as he was pulling out from his driveway. Bently shot at Wieburg and his patrol car and wounded the deputy in the right forearm, the release said. Wieburg took cover behind his vehicle and returned fire.
Woodard arrived on the scene and moved Wieburg to a safe area and administered first aid, according to the release. Wieburg later was taken to Mercy Hospital in Waldron, where he was treated and released.
Bently returned to his home, a camper trailer, and refused numerous attempts to communicate with deputies, the release said. Deputies from the Scott, Polk and Montgomery counties, officers from the Waldron Police Department, the state police and its SWAT team, and officers from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the U.S. Forest Service converged on the area and surrounded the trailer.
The special weapons and tactics team had a large armored vehicle that rammed the trailer and punched a hole in it. Tear gas was thrown into the opening, driving Bently out where he surrendered, Shores said.
Bently's live-in girlfriend, Clarice Esquilla, also was arrested, accused of fleeing and hindering apprehension, Shores said.
State Desk on 12/08/2017