By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A Palestine woman told police she was defending her teenage daughter when she allegedly killed a Forrest City man early Sunday.
The incident was the first murder recorded in Forrest City this year.
According to a report at the Forrest City Police Department, Jamelle Greer, 28, 1516 E. Broadway, was reportedly fighting with the 15-year-old daughter of Karen Kristy Kennedy, 34, when Kennedy allegedly stabbed him.
Police reported the murder occurred at the Tamitha Davis residence, 1731 Indian Hills Road, Apt. 57, just after midnight on Sunday. Two other teenagers were at the residence when the fight occurred.
According to the report, Greer, the girl and Kennedy were fighting when Greer was stabbed once in the upper chest area.
Greer was transported by ambulance to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
"It has been alleged that Greer was hitting Kennedy's daughter, and in trying to get him off of the girl, Kennedy got involved in the fight. She apparently stabbed Greer during the fight and that led to his death," said FCPD Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Dwight Duch.
According to Duch the 15-year old is not facing any charges in connection with the murder.
Kennedy was placed in the St. Francis County Jail on charges of second-degree murder and was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon.
"We're charging her with second-degree murder because there wasn't any premeditation to this. To charge her with second-degree murder means that she caused injury to a person that resulted in that person's death. We don't think that she went there intending to kill him, but as a result of her stabbing him, he died," said Duch.
Greer's body was transported to the Arkansas State Medical Examiner's Office Crime Lab for an autopsy. The investigation is continuing.
A Forrest City man was kidnapped at gunpoint from inside a local residence Saturday morning.
According to the Forrest City Police Department, Thomas Adams, 27, was at the Tashia Jones residence, 320 A St., Saturday when four men reportedly forced their way into the residence and made Adams leave with them.
The incident occurred about 9:30 a.m.
Police reported they received a description of the suspect vehicle and the attackers from Jones, and stopped a vehicle matching that description a short time later on Whitaker Street. According to the report, police found Adams inside the vehicle with minor injuries.
"When they stopped the car and got him (Adams) out he told officers that the guys had been riding him around and that they had told him they were going to kill him. He was visibly frightened, but did not press charges at the time," said FCPD Criminal Investigation Division Lt. Dwight Duch.
Gregory Stacy, 37, of Forrest City was arrested this morning in connection with the incident. He is charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault and residential burglary. More arrests are pending in the case, police said. Stacy was scheduled to be arraigned today in municipal court.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Police Department may have to settle for less of a command vehicle, or wait longer.
That was the general feeling of a meeting held at the Police Department between Glenn Ford and Cecil Twillie of the city council's police committee, Police Chief Clarence McNeary and Police Lt. Eddie Adamson.
Bids were opened last week on a command vehicle. The lowest bid was $116,525. Mayor Larry Bryant said that there was only about $80,000 in grant funds available (reported last week as $50,000).
The grant in question is the 2000 Local Law Enforcement Block Grant. According to figures which McNeary got from the mayor's office, There is actually some $88,428 in the 2000 grant. In addition there remains $68,246 in 1999 funds which are still available. However, Adamson said he had been told that the two grants could not be combined.
McNeary said the command center would be used in many capacities, including working crime scenes, being used in case of disaster, and even being used for public relation purposes.
"It could be used as a mobile mini-station, taken to Wal-Mart, to the ball park," said McNeary. "It would be visible."
Adamson also said it could keep the police department running if a disaster put the police building out of commission.
Ford and Twillie both commented that they had no problem with purchasing the vehicle. However, they said that if the money was not there, something else would have to be done.
It is possible that a command center can be installed in a recreational vehicle at less cost. However, Adamson said the vehicles constructed specifically for the purpose of being command vehicles are more sturdily built.
Adamson reported that a vehicle, built to house a command vehicle but without any equipment, would cost in the $80,000 range. It was suggested that the police department might go that route, and equip the vehicle as funds became available.
In the end, Ford said he would make two recommendations. The first would be to find out for sure if the two LLEB grants could or could not be combined. If they could not, he said his second recommendation would be to reject the bids and "start from square one."
A full slate of meetings are on tap this week throughout St. Francis County.
The Madison, Hughes and Widener City Councils will meet tonight at each city's city hall. The Widener council meeting begins at 6 p.m., and the Madison and Hughes meetings begin at 7 p.m.
The Forrest City Civic Center Commission was originally scheduled to meet this evening at the civic center, but that meeting has been postponed to Thursday. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. at city hall.
On Tuesday, The Forrest City Advertising and Promotions Commission will meet at 2 p.m. at the Forrest City Area Chamber of Commerce office.
The St. Francis County Quorum Court's budget committee will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the courthouse.
A town hall meeting is planned for Forrest City at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will be held at city hall.
At 7 p.m., the Hughes School Board will meet in the school's administration building. The Palestine and Caldwell city councils will also meet at 7 p.m. at each city's city hall.