By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Forrest City police officers are working a two-fold effort in an attempt to curb a rash of daytime robberies in the city as well as crack down on juvenile truancy, according to FCPD School Officer Mike Long.
Long said a recent rash of daytime break-ins have led the FCPD to conduct more stringent patrols during the day, and that has lead to an increase in teenagers receiving tickets for violation of the daytime curfew.
"We've had quite of few people who have had their homes broken into during the day recently, so we decided that we needed to beef up our patrols. Because of that, we've had more arrests for violating the daytime curfew because we have more officers on the streets during those hours," said Long.
Children under the age of 18 can be ticketed for violating the curfew which is designed to keep children in school and off of the streets, Long said. Offenders are taken to the police department where their parents are contacted and notified of the status of their child. According to Long, parents then have the option of coming and getting the child, having the child taken back to school or allowing the child to be held at the police station for up to six hours.
"Once we call the parents, we give them the option on what they want done with the child at that time. There are those who ask us to hold them in the holding cell for the afternoon to teach them a lesson, and there are those that pick their children up and handle it themselves. We will also drop the student back off at school because we would all rather see them getting their education rather than getting in trouble," said Long.
The children also have to spend time with a juvenile intake officer, according to Long, which can lead to probation or community service.
Long said the Forrest City School District has worked with the FCPD to make it easier for officers to determine if a student is excused from school or is actually AWOL. He said students who are away from campus due to employment or as a part of a work program are given passes that can be shown to officers letting them know that they are excused. Those students also have to check out at the office when they leave campus so that school officials have a record of them leaving.
Students aren't the only ones who face possible fines due to student truancy, according to Long. If a vehicle is stopped with a student passenger inside who is not excused from campus or with a parent, guardian or relative, then the adult in the vehicle can face charges of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
"We are allowed to stop a vehicle if it appears that a minor is inside and that minor doesn't appear to be with a parent. We know that there are instances when a parent or relative will have someone pick up a child for them but at least those are excused. It's the cases of where we just have kids riding around for the fun of it that we're trying to stop," said Long.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
Friday saw the close of another term of Circuit Court in Forrest City, and according to First Judicial District Judge L.T. Simes II, this term could be listed at a success.
According to figures released by Simes and St. Francis County Circuit Clerk Bette Green, as of Friday, 160 cases were disposed of during the two weeks of court which began Aug. 20, and 36 inmates at the St. Francis County Jail were transferred to state facilities.
"We were able to go through quite a few cases during this term of court and that helps everyone," said Simes.
According to Simes, court was able to keep moving despite the absence of the circuit courtroom, which is still being repaired after a March 20 fire. Circuit court officials used the District Courtroom (Municipal Court Building), the Chancery Courtroom and the Quorum Court room during the two-week term. Simes thanked all of the officials at the courthouse for their help during the term.
"This is something that we're all having to work through together, and I'd like to thank the people in the District Court offices for their cooperation because there are times when I know that we may have been in their way. Judge Routon (District Judge Steve Routon) was willing to change his schedule so that we could use his office, and it just helped us immensely," said Simes.
According to Green, this term of court also helped the county's financial problems because there were no jury trials during this term.
"Our jurors were ready and available but we were able to get through this term without the need for the jury," said Green, adding, "This helps the county with the financial issues because those are jurors that didn't have to be paid during this term."
"I'd like to thank the jury pool because those folks called in and checked in with us daily to see if they were needed and that is greatly appreciated. We had several jury trials scheduled but being able to dispose of those cases without the jury is really a plus for the entire judicial process," Simes said. "When you have a jury trial you have the time expended by the court and then there's the appeal process. That can be costly and take quite a bit of time from the court. When we can dispose of matters such as this, it's over and more economical."
Circuit Court will officially close later this week, according to Simes. All hearings ended on Friday.
Forrest City police have identified a woman found dead inside a Dooley Street residence Friday morning as Ruby Jean Dent, 40, of 304 S. Powell Street in Forrest City.
Dent was found dead about 10:30 a.m. by the occupants at 222 Dooley, according to a report at the Forrest City Police Department.
Dent was involved in a disturbance Thursday night at the home she shared with Lawrence Boyland, 30, at 304 S. Powell St. Boyland was arrested for domestic abuse in connection with the incident which caused Dent to be taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City for treatment. She was released from the hospital a few hours later and taken to the Dooley Street residence.
Police are waiting for the results of an autopsy on Dent's body at the State Crime Lab to determine the cause of death.
Boyland was arrested Thursday night in connection with the domestic battery, but had bonded out of jail. He was arrested again Friday for violating the conditions of his suspended sentence. He is being held in the St. Francis County Jail.
East Arkansas Community College is offering a defensive driving class on Monday, Sept. 17 and Tuesday, Sept. 18, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., in the EACC Learning Resource Center Conference Room B-129.
According to a press release, this course is appropriate for drivers of any age who wish to reduce the chance of being involved in an accident. Completion of the course could result in lower insurance premiums.
Experts contend driving a vehicle is the most dangerous activity most people will ever engage in. Last year, Arkansas had over 50,000 collisions, resulting in over $3.5 million in property damage in addition to the loss of life and disabling injuries.
The defensive driving course is sponsored by the Arkansas Safety Council, and is specifically designed for the automobile driver. The course fee is $40.
Both sessions must be attended to receive a completion certificate for insurance purposes. For more information, contact the department of continuing education at 633-4480 ext. 261 or 333 or toll free at 1-877-797-EACC.
August saw a number of commercial projects for which building permits were purchased, according to the mayor's office.
The total value of the projects was $172,013, bringing the year-to-date total to $3,422,363.
The largest single permit was for a Telecorp tower at 1335 Brookside, valued at $50,000. Other projects include a $31,300 finishing job at Alltell, at 201 Deaderick. Other projects include a building at Forrest City High School for $28,000; an addition at Christ Church valued at $25,000; and an expansion at Forrest City High School for $22,436.
Other commercial projects include a sign at Dollar Tree, at 201 Deaderick, valued at $3,200; a fence at Colvin's Carpet, 2022 E. Broadway, valued at $1,000; and roof repairs valued at $1,200 at Nimocks Oil, 1333 W. Broadway.
Private home projects included a fence, a canopy, a slab, windows and a roof.