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See Page 4 Volume 116 Number 15 - USPS 225-680
Hazen/DeValls Bluff, Prairie County, Arkansas
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Community High Speed Police Chase ends in Lonoke County on I-4 40 Events With the fourth pursuit in the last ten days in Calendar Prairie County, the Hazen Tuesday April 12
Quorum Court Meeting at Des Arc Annex Building at 6:00 p.m.
Thursday April 14
Hazen Elementary School Kindergarten Registration at 1:30 p.m. at Hazen School Cafeteria GFWC Elsie McCain Club, Summer Outing to Memphis at 10:00 a.m. Moving Prairie County Forward Meeting at DeValls Bluff Historical Museum at 6:00 p.m. Hazen City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym Hazen Masonic Lodge Hall Meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Monday April 18
Honors Banquet at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday April 19
DeValls Bluff Bingo at DeValls Bluff Public Library at 11:30 a.m. PC Retired Teachers Meeting at El Amigo in Hazen at 1:00 p.m. PC Master Gardeners Meeting at BancorpSouth at 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday April 20
Friendship Luncheon at DVB United Methodists Church 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m
Thursday April 21
Hazen City Council Meeting at 6:00 p.m. City Hall Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym
Monday April 25
Hazen School Board Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at High School Library
Tuesday April 26
Prairie County Fair Board Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Thursday April 28
Prairie County Health Clinic in Hazen at Community Center from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Commodities at Hazen First United Methodist Church from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Bring Photo ID and proof of Prairie County Residence Free in Christ Substance Abuse Problems Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at DeValls Bluff Gym
Friday - Sunday April 29 - May 1
GFWC of Arkansas State Convention, Wyndham Hotel, NLR
Community Events brought to you by
and the
Hazen Chamber of Commerce
Please call F&M Bank, 255-3042 to list events.
Police Department went above and beyond to apprehend the latest offender even if it meant crossing into another county to apprehend the suspect on I-40 on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 along with help of the Arkansas Highway Police, Lonoke County Police and Lonoke Police and Arkansas State Police. None of the officers knew that the suspect they were pursuing was a wanted person and cautioned as armed and dangerous. Hazen Police Assistant Chief Arlin VanHouten was dispatched to exit 193 Westbound at Hazen at 11:30 a.m. for a reckless vehicle passing other vehicles on the shoulder and speeding at a high rate. He waited patiently for the vehicle to come by the exit and began to pursue the suspect. It took VanHouten several minutes to catch up the
2016 Farm Family of the Year John and Kristel Petrus of Carlisle were named 2016 Prairie County Farm Family of the year. They live in between Carlisle and Hazen, but have a farm in Prairie County. Congratulations to John and Kristel Petrus for being nominated as this year’s Farm Family of the Year. They will be featured in the Grand Prairie Herald Farm Family of the Year at the end of July.
Benefit Cake Walk/ Spaghetti Supper There will be a Benefit Cake Walk and Spaghetti Supper to help Doyen Martin with Recent Medical Bills on Saturday, April 30th at the DeValls Bluff Police Station. The Cake Walk will be from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the Spaghetti Supper will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The cost will be $5.00 per plate with take outs available. They will also be raffling a H & R Pardner 12 guage Shotgun and a Marlin 22 Rifle donated by Paul and Courtney Adams from The Bottoms. Sponsored by Mark Spain, Karen Grubbs and Paul Adams.
Albar Manjarez, Mugshot from arrest in January 2016 in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Photo courtesy of http://cdn.arre.st/Jails/NMJail s.info/images2/ALBAR-MANJAREZ-100190807.jpg
speeding vehicle in which he observed the vehicle to pass vehicles on the shoulder at high speeds. When VanHouten turned on his blue lights and sirens to pull the vehicle over little did he know it was going to end up in a high speed chase with assistance from several other surrounding Police Departments. VanHouten reported the tags to dispatch before making the first official traffic stop in between Hazen and Carlisle at 187 Milemaker Westbound. While speaking with the driver, he was informed by the dispatcher that the vehicle was stolen out of Tennessee. He asked the driver to step out of the vehicle so he could go to the back of the vehicle and talk with him. VanHouten reported that the suspect opened the door slightly, then apologized, put the car in drive and sped off. VanHouten notified dispatch that he was in pursuit and began following the suspect. He noticed while gaining up to the vehicle that the suspect continually passed other vehicles on the shoulder and were cutting them off to swerve. VanHouten clock the vehicle traveling more than 110 mph at any given point. At 176 milemaker, the suspect lost control of the vehicle after passing on the left shoulder and barely missed hitting a red vehicle in front of him. However, when the vehicle lost control, it
Hazen’s All Call
Driver’s Side of the stolen car after the crash on Tuesday. Police Department. to swerve into spun sideways into the pect, right lane and collided oncoming traffic to avoid into VanHouten's patrol being hit head on by the vehicle on the passenger's suspect. Luckily traffic side. He states that imme- noticed the reckless driver diately after the collision and helped the Police he ran to the vehicle to Officers conduct proper apprehend the suspect, maneuvers to stop the but then the suspect put vehicle. The suspect then the car in drive to speed spun around and hit the down I-40 the wrong way barrier cables in the on Westbound. Due to median. Hopkins and a Hazen Police Officer few other Police Officers Taylor "Moe" Hopkins and exited their Patrol cars, other units in pursuit, drew their weapons and VanHouten did not con- ordered the driver out of tinue pursue at that time the vehicle. However, the so he exited at Lonoke to driver did not listen and monitor radio traffic. put the vehicle in drive to While VanHouten was get back on the interstate patiently waiting for the heading West toward The Police suspect to head back Lonoke. towards Lonoke; Hopkins, Officers were able to who was notified by the catch up the suspect and Prairie County Sheriffs box him; Hopkins followed Office around 11:30 am. procedures to apprehend that VanHouten was on a the suspect, but as soon traffic stop with a stolen as he had a hold of the vehicle and came to assist suspect the car was put in him, encountered the sus- reverse and backed down pect head on Westbound Hopkins Patrol Car and lanes traveling slamming into Smith's Eastbound. While Patrol Car. The Officers began purHopkins was pursuing the again towards suspect, the suspect's suit vehicle lost control and Lonoke. When the suspect was found in the grass exited the interstate at VanHouten median. He reported that Lonoke, he as he approached the crossed over the overpass suspect's vehicle, the sus- meeting the suspect head pect drove back up onto on. He attempted to block the roadway directly in the vehicle resulting in front of Hopkins making being hit again on the drihim collide into the pas- ver's side door of his senger side of the sus- patrol vehicle. VanHouten pect's vehicle. The suspect reported that the vehicle then traveled West pursuit ended at that towards Lonoke on the time and the suspect shoulder trying pass an began to flee on foot and 18-wheeler causing tried to gain access to Highway Patrol Officer another vehicle occupied David Smith, who was by an older female driver; traveling East down however, her vehicle was Westbound on the shoul- locked. The suspect then der to catch up the sus- ran down the overpass
Photo courtesy of Hazen and onto 1-40 Eastbound running into traffic and trying to get into an 18wheeler. VanHouten says that the suspect continued fleeing down the interstate and was finally taken into custody a few minutes later. The chase ended around Noon East of Lonoke. Through the bravery and determination from the officers, they were able to apprehend the suspect and save countless lives and their fellow officer's lives. The suspect was later identified as Albar Manjarez, suspect with a felony warrant for Aggravated Assault with a deadly weapon out of New Mexico. Manjarez is currently being charged in Lonoke County for Multiple Counts of Aggravated Assault on a Police Officer (VanHouten, Hopkins and Smith), Theft by Receiving and Felony Fleeing. There was no bond set as of Wednesday, April 6, 2016. Editor's Note: After being allowed to watch the videos from the Patrol Cars, it is a miracle that not a single person was killed during this horrendous chase. Yes, two of the Hazen's Police Vehicles and one of the Arkansas Highway Police Vehicles were damaged during the pursuit, but vehicles can be replace and fixed, lives can't be. Thank you Police Officers for going beyond your call of duty and County to protect all of the innocent drivers on I-40 and apprehending Manjarez.
To get the latest Emergency Information in Hazen such as Water Outages, Boil Orders, or in case of other emergencies. Contact the City of Hazen at 870-255-4522 to be added to Hazen’s All Call List to be notified and not left in the dark on what’s going on during an emergency.
Hazen Community Prayer Event By Kim Wilson A Community Prayer Event will be held at the Gazebo in the city park on Thursday, May 5th, at 6:30 pm and will last about an hour.The Prayer Event is being held in conjunction with the National Day of Prayer, which is an annual event held on the first Thursday in May. It was created in 1952 by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. It’s a call for the people of America to turn to God in repentance and seek his guidance for their nation. The theme for this year’s National Day of Prayer is “Wake Up America”, emphasizing the crucial need for individuals, corporately and individually, to return to
the God of our Fathers in reverence and obedience. The Bible Scripture for this year’s theme is from Isaiah 58:1 “shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. The citizens of Hazen and the surrounding communities are urged to come together and be united in earnest prayer for our country, our city leaders, our school, our churches, our families, and the lost & oppressed. This will be a time for God’s people to come together before their creator without any denominational, racial, or social division. Pastors/Elders from the city’s churches are joining together to lead prayers on the different topics, giving individuals silent time for their own prayers.
Passenger side of the car that was stolen after it was stopped by Police.
Tax Delinquent Land Sale Scheduled for Prairie County (April 11, 2016) LITTLE ROCK, Ark – A public auction for the sale of tax delinquent land in Prairie County will be held Tuesday, April 26, at 10 a.m. at the Prairie County Courthouse in Des Arc, according to John Thurston, Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m. The Commissioner of State Lands offers an online Catalog of Tax
Delinquent Lands, which contains the current statutes governing the sales, auction dates, times, location and other pertinent information regarding parcels being offered. The catalog can be found on the Commissioner’s website at www.cosl.org, providing current information resources about each parcel. “Bidding begins at the amount of taxes and fees
that are due on the property,” Thurston said. “Owners of delinquent parcels should remember that they have only 10 business days to redeem their property if it sells at auction.” Delinquent property owners may call the office at 501-324-9422 to request a Petition to Redeem, or they may look up the delinquent parcel on the COSL website and print it from there.