By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A Heth man who turned himself in to an auxiliary deputy Sunday after allegedly killing two of his in-laws could now face death himself after his original charge of first-degree murder was upgraded to capital murder during his arraignment Monday in St. Francis County District Court.
Lester Moss, 43, was arrested Sunday on two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths of Connie Irene Austin, 54, and Scotty Austin, 21, also of Heth. Moss was charged with first-degree murder on Sunday, but that charge was modified by First Judicial District Deputy Prosecutor Chris Morledge on Monday.
Moss reportedly shot and killed the Austins in front of his wife Christy and their four children after a family argument. According to St. Francis County Criminal Investigative Division Chief Investigator Glenn Ramsey, Christy Moss said that her husband fired several rounds into both victims from a small .32 caliber semi-automatic weapon after first shooting each victim in the head. Ramsey said he was unsure of the number of shots fired during the murders, but did say five spent casings were found in the home.
"We don't have an exact number of shots that were fired into each victim yet because we don't check for that at the scene. We'll get that information back from the crime lab. We do know that at least five shell casings were located in the room where this happened. The room was rather large and the casings are very small in comparison, but I feel that we did a pretty thorough job of searching the room," Ramsey said.
According to Morledge, the murder charges were modified due to the long-standing argument between Moss and his in-laws, which allegedly centered around the family's living arrangement.
"The charges probably should have been capital murder charges originally. We feel that this act was premeditated and deliberate, and given the nature of the argument and the fact that this was a long-term dispute that had been building up, we feel that he had contemplated this act prior to everything taking place on Sunday," Morledge said.
Moss, who is a convicted felon for theft of property, is also facing a charge of possession of a firearm by a certain person in connection with Sunday's murders. He is being held in the St. Francis County Jail without bail at the request of Morledge. Several family members attended Monday's arraignment with many of them voicing accusations against Moss' wife.
"This was a set-up so that they could take her land, and now they're going to get away with it," one family member said.
According to Ramsey, while he has heard the accusations from the family, there are no plans to file charges against Moss' wife.
"At this point we do not plan to file any charges against the wife. So far, all we've heard are the rumors from the family about them wanting the land, but if we're going to file criminal charges against someone in a case like this, we need evidence to support those charges. We don't have any evidence of involvement on her part, and we have no plans to file charges," Ramsey said.
Morledge also commented on the allegations. "This is an on-going investigation, but at this point, I agree with Glenn because there is no evidence to support charges against Christy Moss. If in the course of the investigation we do find evidence of her involvement, then we will act on that evidence.
Ramsey also commented on accusations from the family regarding the mental health of Moss. During several outbursts outside of District Court Monday, family members told members of the media that they had been told that Moss could be cleared due to an insanity plea. According to Ramsey, family members first mentioned the possibility of mental issues with Moss.
"I met with about 12 members of the family yesterday, and it was in those conversations that I was told by the family that Moss had been receiving psychiatric treatment in two different states. I don't know what his defense will be, but at this point, I can say that we have not been able to confirm any psychiatric treatment," Ramsey said.
Moss is scheduled to appear July 8 in Circuit Court.
By DAVID NICHOL
T-H Staff Writer
The Forrest City Airport Commission opened four responses Monday to its Request For Qualifications (RFQ) from engineering firms which want to be consulting engineers for the airport.
"You know the scope of the work we have to do here," Bill Hays, commission chairman, told the members.
The following firms submitted statements of qualification: Miller Newell Engineers Inc. of Newport: Grimes Consulting Engineers of Little Rock; Ellers, Oakley, Chester and Rike of Memphis; Delta Airport Consultants of Richmond, Va.
Only one firm is familiar to the commission members. Dan Clinton with Grimes Consulting Engineers has worked with the commission before.
Hays requested that commission members "burn some midnight oil" and study the statements closely.
"We want a qualified person to do this work for us," Hays continued. "I think the FAA is pretty much waiting for us to establish a person for this position (in order to give a final approval to projects). We need to get this done. I think it's been holding us up here. So I'm suggesting that we meet next Monday night and make a final decision."
He said if any members feels that an expert should be called in to help make the decision, it can be done. "But we know what we want, and I think we can select a capable person."
The meeting will take place Monday, June 14, at 6 p.m. at the airport.
Some of the upcoming airport projects, which have been in the works for some time, include installation of approach lights and runway end marker lights, plus security fences and gates. There are also plans to widen and lengthen the runway, as well as extend the parallel taxiway, which may be put on hold, since some of the airport's money from the Federal Aviation Administration has gone to the Delta Regional Airport Authority to help complete a feasibility study on a regional airport between Forrest City and Wynne.
As the meeting wound down, commission member Homer Jacobs, who has expressed displeasure at letting any of the airport's money go, again expressed some worry about money being taken from the airport to fund regional airport studies. The commission recently agreed, after first refusing, to allow $115,000 to go to the regional airport study.
"What I'm concerned with is the future, and the additional cost for an environmental study and everything," Jacobs said. "And they're going to come in, I believe, and take $115,000 every year from us."
"That's not an established fact at all," said Hays. "It may turn out to be that way. We want to do the best we can with what we have...I think the airport out here looks good, it's clean, it's well maintained. I hear a lot of favorable comments from people. We just need a little more runway out there."
It was also reported that all the airport's hangars are rented.
The ball is squarely in the hands of the Wellington Group after officials with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism and the Arkansas Attorney General's Office signed a lease last week allowing for a partnership in a golf course at Village Creek State Park.
According to Greg Butts, Parks and Tourism Director, the state signed the lease, which was approved last month, on Thursday.
"We signed the ground lease agreement last Thursday, and we're expecting to get that back from Wellington this week. This will turn them loose to go out and seek financing and get this project started," Butts said.
The signing of the ground lease agreement will also allow Wellington to enter into a contract with Andy Dye Designs for the design of the 27-hole multi-million dollar golf course. The course and lodge will both be located in the Cross County portion of the park after environmental concerns were raised in connection with a possible location of the 124-room lodge on the St. Francis County side of the park.
Wellington was studying the possibility of locating the lodge in the St. Francis County portion of the park in order to utilize funding breaks due to the county's designation as an Enterprise Zone.
The formation of the golf course at Village Creek could also assist the state in a tourism project currently under way. Butts said last month that Wellington has agreed to criteria for the course to make it eligible for the Arkansas Golf Trail.
"Tourism has been working on the creation of an Arkansas Golf Trail which will market to golfers across the nation the golf courses located in the state. We're wanting it to be similar to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Alabama and have similar success. The major difference between our program and the one in Alabama is that we're going to try to utilize courses, both private and public, across the state that are already in existence, and this course at Village Creek will be included among those," Butts said for a story last month.
The partnership between the state and a private entity is the first of its type in the state of Arkansas. The state will contribute $7 million to the project, primarily in land at Village Creek State Park, and Wellington will pay $20 million for the construction of the lodge. The lease agreement between the state and Wellington is for 25-years with a 25-year renewable option.
The polling locations for the Aug. 3 special election have been announced officially. The locations announced last week by the St. Francis County Election Commission contained some errors.
The purpose of the election is to allow county residents to decide whether to allow Forrest City to allocate a portion of its share of the county-wide solid waste sales tax to industrial development, over a four-year period. Although the vote will affect Forrest City only, the tax itself is county-wide, meaning the entire county must vote on the issue.
There will be five voting locations -- Forrest City Civic Center, Colt Community Center, Madison Community Center, Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall in Palestine and Hughes Community Center.
Voters may cast their ballots at the following locations:
Hughes City/Country, Precincts 1-1,1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 3-4, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 4-4 -- Hughes Community Center.
Rawlison, Precincts 5-1, 5-2 -- Hughes Community Center.
Heth-Blackfish, Precincts 6-2 7-1, 7-2, 7-3 -- Hughes Community Center.
Widener, Precincts 9-1, 9-2, 10-1 -- Madison Community Center.
Round Pond-Moseley, 11-1, 11-2, 13-1, 13-2 -- Madison Community Center.
Madison, Precincts 14-1, 14-2, 14-3, 14-4, 14-5, 15-1, 15-2, 15-3, 15-4 -- Madison Community Center.
Bonair-Tuni, Precincts 16-1, 17-1, 17-2, 17-3 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Parrot-Newcastle, Precincts 18-1, 19-1 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Colt, Precincts 20-1, 21-1 -- Colt Community Center.
Caldwell, Precincts 22-1, 23-1 -- Colt Community Center.
Courthouse East and West, Precincts 24-1, 25-1, 25-2, 25-3, 25-4, 26-1 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Pine Tree, Precincts 27-1, 27-2, 27-4 -- Colt Community Center.
Pine Tree, Precinct 27-3 -- Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall.
Palestine City/Country, Precincts 28-1, 29-1, 29-2, 29-3, 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4, 31-1, 31-2, 31-3 -- Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall.
Goodwin, Precincts 32-1, 32-2, 32-3 -- Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall.
Wheatley City/Country, Precincts 33-1, 33-2, 34-1, 34-2, 34-3 -- Twin Assembly Fellowship Hall.
Forrest City Ward 1, Precincts 35-1, 35-2, 36-1, 37-1, 38-1, 58-1 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Forrest City Ward 2, Precincts 39-1, 41-1, 43-1, 45-1, 47-1, 50-3 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Forrest City Ward 3, Precincts 49-1, 50-2, 50-4, 51-1, 52-1, 52-2, 53-1, 53-2, 55-2 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
Forrest City Ward 4, Precincts 54-1, 55-3, 56-1, 56-2, 57-1, 57-2, 60-1, 65-1, 66-1, 66-2 -- Forrest City Civic Center.
A deputy with the Pulaski County Sheriff's Department has resigned after being charged with manslaughter involving the death of a Mablevale woman last month in St. Francis County.
Joshua Plemmons, 25, of Little Rock, was bound over to St. Francis County Circuit Court on his own recognizance and released following his appearance Monday afternoon before St. Francis County District Court Judge Steve Routon.
Plemmons was the driver of a 2001 Pontiac Firebird that collided with a 1991 Freightliner on May 2 near the 263 mile marker of Interstate 40, east of Shell Lake. A passenger, Kerry L. Patton, 24, of Mablevale, was killed in the accident after she was ejected from the vehicle.
Arkansas State Police reported Plemmons was westbound on I-40 when he lost control of the vehicle, crossed the median into oncoming traffic and struck the rear of a truck driven by Gloria D. Deleon. Plemmons' vehicle was then struck by a truck driven by Oscar Lopez, 21, of Nashville, Tenn.
Plemmons was injured and airlifted from the scene to the Med Center in Memphis. Lopez was also injured. Patton was pronounced dead at the scene.
Plemmons was arrested on the manslaughter charge on June 1. He later resigned from his duties with the PCSD, according to John Rehrauer, a public information officer with the PSCD, who added that Plemmons had been employed with the department since April 2001.
Plemmons is also named as a defendant in a lawsuit filed May 10 by Patton's estate.
The lawsuit claims that Plemmons, among other things, was negligent for making an illegal pass and failing to maintain proper control of his vehicle.
Michael G. Buteau Jr., 27, of Greenville, Ohio, a truck driver for Classic Carrier Inc., is also named in the lawsuit that alleges he veered his truck from the left lane into the right lane and onto the shoulder, forcing Plemmons onto the grass on the north side of I-40, causing him to lose control of the vehicle and strike the rear of Deleon's 18-wheeler. The impact tore Plemmons' vehicle in half.
The lawsuit claims that Buteau, among other things, failed to maintain a proper look, was driving recklessly and was guilty of manslaughter and showing indifference to human life or an intent to seriously harm or kill.
Buteau was charged with manslaughter on May 17. He was also released on his own recognizance.