Of the people, By the people, For the people
Home of subscriber
Ben Mays
TUESDAY, May 21, 2019 / Vol. 5 Issue 21 / 75 cents
2 charged in Bee Branch fire A brother and sister conspired to burn down a home on Highway 92 West in Bee Branch in April, according to court documents. The occupant of the home was the wife of Elmer William Hill, who has been arrested along with his sister, Lauren Jane Cates. Investigators say that Hill agreed to pay Cates to burn down the mobile home, told
Cates how to get to the home through the woods and instructed her to go to the window near the tongue of the trailer. Hill, 30, was a member of the Bee Branch Volunteer Fire Department at the time of the arson. He previously had been charged with aggravated assault on a family member with the victim being his estranged wife Heather
Hill, and there is a no contact order in place. An Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms K-9 found indications of an accelerant near the trailer’s outside tongue location, according to the court documents. Bee Branch Fire Chief Tommy Davis identified the voice on a 911 call reporting the fire at 10:40 p.m. April 6 as Hill, and Hill eventually acknowledged that he had made the
call. Cates, 28, told investigators that she had been working at a Quitman restaurant at the time in question. However, data records place her cell phone in Bee Branch at the time of the fire, the documents state. Cates has been charged with arson, a Class D felony, reckless burning, a Class D felony, and unlawful use of communica-
tion device, a Class C felony. Her plea and arraignment are set for June 3. Hill has been charged with unlawful use of communication device, a Class C felony, stalking-first degree, a Class C felony, violation of a no contact order, a misdemeanor, and conspiracy to commit arson, a misdemeanor. A bond revocation hearing for Hill is set for June 3.
Cates
Hill
Clinton man shot
Storms rumble through - Several trees like this one in Alread toppled during Saturday’s thunderstorms. Petit Jean Electric reported that 1,065 customers in Clinton, Shirley, Marshall, Scotland and Cleveland lost power but those areas were all restored by Sunday morning. No injuries or major damage was reported. (Photo by Robert R. Gaut)
A Clinton man who was shot in the face has been charged with terroristic threatening. According to court records, Terri Bell told investigators that when she got home on May 10 a man came out of the bushes and hit her driver’s side door with a hatchet. She said she pulled a gun and shot Kaleb Colt Kirkendoll, according to the documents. She told a dispatcher that she fired until the gun misfired, according to the affidavit. Bell said she put her car in reverse and was driving down Highway 16 West and Kirkendoll was running after her, according to the court documents. The dispatcher got Bell to pull over and wait for a deputy to arrive. Deputies found glass on the highway,
a knife with a serrated edge, a bloody bullet and two human teeth, according to the report. They later found Kirkendoll lying in a cemetery behind Union Church. Kirkendoll appeared to have been shot in the face and the arm, according to the report. He was transported to the nearest emergency room before being taken to UAMS. Bell was taken to Ozark Health Medical Center for evaluation. The next day, she talked with investigators at the sheriff’s office but eventually asked for a lawyer and the interview was ended, according to the report. Bell was charged with domestic battery-first degree. Kirkendoll, 35, was charged with terroristic threatening-first degree, a Class D felony.
County close to crushing own gravel County Judge Dale James told the Quorum Court last week that the county is close to getting its gravel-crushing operation under way. He said compliance is still being reviewed and that for every step recommended for safety, the county will take three. James also said that “rainfall is our en-
emy this year” when it comes to road work. He noted that crews have been unable to work a complete week in months because of weather. The Quorum Court unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the county judge to buy used road graders through John Deere Financial. The coun-
Man pleads guilty to sex assault Michael Ray McGrath, 45, of Dennard pleaded guilty last week to three counts of sexual assault-fourth degree. The charges are Class A felonies; two other counts were nolle prossed. McGrath was sentenced to 12 months in Arkansas Department of Corrections credit for 376 days jail time served; 72 months supervised probation; and 60 months suspended imposition of sentence. The incidents occurred between Jan. 1
McGrath and April 16, 2018, according to court documents. The victim was a minor. A jury trial had been scheduled for last week.
ty currently leases Caterpillar graders, but James would prefer to buy them. He said John Deere offered a good deal with a 3.99 percent interest rate. Also at the May 16 meeting, Treasurer Mistie Wilson renewed her request to hire a second person for her office. Wilson said she needs someone to
work at least four days a week and proposed paying that person $15.52 per hour. Budget committee Chairman Brian Tatum said the budget “is extremely tight right now.” He said the county does not have an extra $30,000. Wilson said the position will be mostly funded by the office’s
commissions. She said she went to a one-day meeting recently and spent two days catching up on her work. She told the justices of the peace that she will be on vacation for seven days in July and there will be nobody in the office. Wilson suggested starting pay of $14.50 or less for the position.
The JPs tabled the proposal. Sheriff Lucas Emberton reported that he and James have worked out a swap so that inmates will continue mowing for the county and county workers will maintain sheriff’s office vehicles. (The sheriff’s office report can be found on Page 2.)
Driver arrested
Stores closing
a statement by Congressman French Hill at the March 25 session of the House of Representatives, honoring the VBC Wellness Committee for community health initiatives including the Wellness Kiosk project in Clinton. “The Van Buren County Wellness Committee, founded by former County Judge Roger Hooper in 2017, seeks to create a bridge between local health resources, information, and initiatives to improve the health and well-being of the residents,” Hill read into the record. “At present, three grant-funded health-awareness kiosks have been installed across the county featuring asset mapping of community health resources and county health initiatives.
These kiosks allow residents to find the best doctors and healthcare services within their communities, connecting individuals with the services they need, from food insecurity to mental health support and recovery.” The VBC Wellness Committee was modeled after the “Healthy Active Arkansas” program. Its goal is to create a bridge between local health resources, information, and initiatives in order to improve the health of Van Buren County residents.
A traffic stop ended up with the driver under arrest on drug charges on May 10. Gary Johnson allowed deputies to search his vehicle, according to court documents. The search turned up pills that showed to be schedule 2 narcotics, a small plastic bag containing 0.7 grams of suspected methamphetamine, and a plastic bag with approximately 21.4 grams of marijuana, according to the report. Johnson has been charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and careless and prohibited driving.
Fred’s discount stores in Marshall and Greenbrier will be closing by the end of June, according to the Memphis-based company. Liquidation of those stores will begin immediately. These stores join the list of 260 other Fred’s stores nationwide that the company said are underperforming and unprofitable and will close as the company attempts to restructure.
Wellness commission
honored in D.C. Founder and chairman of the Van Buren County Wellness Commission, Roger Hooper, presented a certificate of Congressional record to members of the community volunteer group at a meeting on May 14. It records