By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
The opening week of criminal court in St. Francis County Circuit Court could see trials in cases involving a man accused of killing a St. Francis County woman in 2003 and a man facing trial after a fifth arrest for driving while intoxicated.
A Wednesday trial date has been set for 24-year-old Justin Busby in the March 2003, death of Tonya Baker. Busby is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree battery and leaving the scene of an accident.
According to police reports on March 23, 2003, Baker and several family members allegedly drove to Scott Wright's residence on Highway 70, and began arguing with Wright.
St. Francis County Deputies reported that Busby and Wright got into Busby's 2003 Ford pickup and followed the van that Baker was a passenger in until the van stopped at the intersection of County Roads 204 and 221, which intersect just behind Casteel Cemetery on Highway 70 West near the Hamilton-Moses Steam Electric plant.
According to the report, when Busby drove past the van, the group had exited the vehicle and allegedly began cursing and throwing rocks at Busby's pickup. Witnesses told police that Busby drove down the road for a short distance, stopped and watched as Scott Wright motioned with his hand for him to begin backing up. Deputies reported Busby was looking out the rear window of his pickup as he drove backward "very fast." The right rear side of Busby's pickup struck a male passenger of the van on his legs before the truck hit Baker who was pinned between the truck and the van. Baker died at the Med Center in Memphis a short time later.
Wright was also charged with first-degree murder, first-degree battery and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with the incident. No trial date has been set for Wright.
On Tuesday, Judge L.T. Simes III, is scheduled to hear a case involving Larry French, 62, of Moro, who is accused of his fifth offense of driving while intoxicated. According to authorities with the St. Francis County Sheriff's Department, while this is French's fifth current charge, he has been charged with DWI more than 20 times.
All total, there are more than 275 cases scheduled to go before Simes through the end of circuit court next month. According to St. Francis County Circuit Clerk Bette Green, civil cases began last week.
"We started civil court last week, and will start criminal trials this week. Criminal court will be heard the week of the 23rd though the 30th, before we'll start civil again," said Green.
Simes will also hear plea and arraignment cases on Monday Sept. 13.
A Memphis man trying to get to Mississippi found himself in police custody Friday night when he ended up in Widener.
Arkansas State Police arrested Daniel E. Morris, 26, on a variety of traffic charges after troopers observed him stop in the middle of Highway 38 after crossing the railroad tracks at Widener about 8:15 p.m.
A routine check on the car showed the tags on the 1995 Buick Morris was driving actually belonged to a Lincoln. While talking with Morris, troopers observed a strong odor of marijuana. Morris is charged with having a suspended driver's license, careless driving, driving while intoxicated, improper use of tags, possession of crack cocaine, no child restraint and endangering the welfare of a minor.
According to the arrest report, Morris admitted to police that he had smoked marijuana and crack about an hour before he was stopped. He also told police he had left Memphis for Batesville, Miss., and thought he was in Mississippi when he stopped.
A baby shower Sunday afternoon was interrupted by a man who walked in off the street, grabbed a knife and threatened to kill himself.
The shower was under way at the Second Baptist Church on Old Madison Road when Christopher Leslie, 24, of Wynne, walked into the kitchen of the fellowship hall where he found a large butcher knife with which he threatened to kill himself, according to a report on file at the Forrest City Police Department.
Officers responding to the church found three ladies inside the room with Leslie, who had the knife placed to his throat. The subject allowed police to escort the women out of the church while an officer remained inside to talk with Leslie. According to the police report, Leslie stated he wanted the police to hurt him, "an apparent suicide by police and that he didn't trust the police."
Several of the department's special operations officers were called to the church where one of them posed as a preacher and was allowed into the kitchen to speak with Leslie. After several failed attempts to persuade Leslie to give himself up, the subject's grandfather from Wynne was called to the church to talk with him until he surrendered to police without incident several hours later.
According to police, there was no hostage situation, and no one was hurt in the incident that ended about 4 p.m.
After agreeing to put the knife down, Leslie was handcuffed
and taken to the FCPD where he was evaluated by an outpatient
therapist with Counseling Services of Eastern Arkansas. Following
the mental evaluation, the therapist told police Leslie posed
a danger to himself and others, and he was then taken to a state
hospital.
A man injured while attempting to break into a home last week was apprehended early Monday morning after fleeing from his residence on Dooley Street.
According to a press release from the Forrest City Police Department, officers were called to 317 Dooley St., at 1:40 a.m. today, and told that James McKinney, 35, 317 Dooley St., was standing on the back porch of the residence. When officers arrived McKinney fled but was apprehended after officers canvassed the area and found him lying in tall grass near Mallory Road. McKinney was taken into custody without incident and charged with residential burglary, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a certain person, all felony warrants.
McKinney was charged in connection with an incident last week where he allegedly broke into the home of Bennie Henderson, 210 Brandon St., Forrest City.
According to that police report, Henderson surprised a burglar, who was identified as McKinney, at about 2:30 a.m on Sunday, Aug. 8. Henderson told police that McKinney started shooting a gun at him, but that he was able to grab a machete which he reportedly used to attack McKinney. According to the report, Henderson was able to fend off McKinney and then hold him against the floor until police arrived. McKinney was transported to Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City but walked away from the hospital before he could be treated for injuries.
Arkansas Highway Department employees led police to a methamphetamine lab at a jobsite near Highway 79 Friday afternoon.
Two AHD employees told county and state police when they entered a trailer on the site they noticed a strong chemical odor. Danny H. Taylor Jr., 33, of Biggers, an employee with a company contracted by the AHD to perform the highway work, told the two AHD workers that he was inside the trailer to use the fax machine.
However, the AHD employees told officers they found a can of ether with a hole in the bottom that was being funneled into a tube and water filter. They also reported a cooler had been in the building, but Taylor took it with him when he went outside.
One of the AHD employees had removed several items from the trailer and placed them into the back of a pickup. Those items included the ether can, a funnel, rubber tubing and a water filter.
At this time, Taylor reportedly told police that he knew what the lab was, but that it did not belong to him. However, inside Taylor's truck police reportedly found a plastic bag containing coffee filters, cotton balls, rubber tubing, Liquid Fire and lithium batteries. Inside a tool box on the property, police also found other items used to manufacture meth.
Taylor was arrested on charges of criminal attempt to manufacture methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to manufacture.
While enroute to the St. Francis County Jail, Taylor told police they could search his camper trailer, which they did, but did not recover anything.
He was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in St. Francis County District Court.
Police responding to a report of an accident on Highway 284 Saturday night instead found a drunk man crying in a driveway.
The St. Francis County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call about 9:45 p.m. with the caller saying there had been a "bad accident on Highway 284." When police arrived, they found an intoxicated Robert Miller, 30, 3390 SFC 795, Forrest City, sitting in a driveway and crying that his girlfriend, who was not named in the report, had been in the accident with him and was still in the vehicle. However, further investigation revealed no accident had occurred.
Miller was taken to the St. Francis County Jail where he was charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct in jail after he started cursing and refused to cooperate with jailers.
A shotgun was found in a ditch off Whitaker Street Friday morning.
Leslie McMillin with the Forrest City Street Department reported finding the 12-gauge Hawthorne Viking shotgun about 9:30 a.m.
McMillin told police he was working in the area near the South Side Trailer Park when he found the weapon. According to the police report, the gun was not listed as stolen through the National Crime Information Center.
A West Memphis couple was arrested by state police responding to calls of a fight on Interstate 40 Saturday evening.
Officers with Arkansas State Police Troop D, headquartered in Forrest City, said Daniel Lester Ayers, 49, and his wife, Sharon Kay Barton Ayers, 48, were reportedly fighting outside their car at the 248 eastbound mile marker near the Widener exit about 7:30 p.m.
Both subjects were reportedly bruised and had scratches on them when police arrived, according to the arrest information.
Daniel Ayers told police they had just left Village Creek State Park when his wife started beating on him while he was driving, and he pulled the car over onto the shoulder of the Interstate where both exited the vehicle and continued fighting.
Daniel Ayers is charged with driving while intoxicated, third offense, and driving on a suspended driver's license. Sharon Ayers is charged with public intoxication.