Suspect in abduction of 17-year-old Hot Springs girl pleads innocent

Samuel W. Bolling Jr. - Submitted photo
Samuel W. Bolling Jr. - Submitted photo

HOT SPRINGS -- The first of two suspects charged with multiple felonies in connection with the kidnapping of a 17-year-old Hot Springs girl last week pleaded innocent Tuesday morning to the charges in Garland County Circuit Court.

Samuel Wayne Bolling Jr., 38, who is reportedly from Nashville, Tenn., but listed an address of 4810 Central Ave. at the time of his arrest April 19, appeared in the Garland County jail courtroom and pleaded innocent to charges of kidnapping and aggravated robbery, each punishable by up to life in prison; first-degree battery, punishable by up to 20 years; and first-degree false imprisonment, punishable by up to 10 years.

A standard court order barring Bolling from any contact with the victim was issued by Judge Marcia Hearnsberger.

Bolling is set to appear in court June 28.

His alleged accomplice, Dayla Diane Ferrer, of Memphis, who turned 20 over the weekend, faces the same charges as Bolling and is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in circuit court.

Bolling and Ferrer remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of bonds totaling $1 million each with their cases bound directly over to circuit court shortly after their arrests April 19 at Bolling's listed Hot Springs address.

A statewide AMBER Alert had been issued for the missing teen the morning of April 19 after she was reportedly abducted around 9:15 p.m. April 18 from the downtown area after leaving her workplace.

She was found shortly before 3:30 p.m. the same day in the 4700 block of Central Avenue and taken to a local hospital, according to a release from Hot Springs police.

Bolling and Ferrer were developed as suspects in her abduction and arrested a short time later.

A gag order was issued in the case limiting pretrial publicity, and the charges against Bolling and Ferrer were filed under seal, so the affidavits in the cases are not available.


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