A man wanted in connection with a murder last summer was found inside a local residence Saturday night as police were serving unrelated warrants on his brother.
Willie Antonio Jones Jr. III, 23, was taken into custody without incident by officers with the Forrest City Police Department. He is charged with capital murder and first-degree battery stemming from a shooting on July 6 last year at the Shell Superstop parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Division streets in Forrest City. The shooting was the result of an argument that had started earlier in the night at the Player's Palace.
According to police reports, Jones' friends had gotten into an argument with some men from Marianna at the Players Palace on Turner Road near Forrest City. The argument was broken up and after they left, they came back together at the Shell parking lot.
Police reported Jones allegedly shot Preston Weeams, 21, of Marianna, numerous times. Doctors in the emergency room at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Forrest City reported Weeams was shot an estimated six times. He was transferred from BMH-FC to the Med Center in Memphis where he died on July 18 as a result of the gunshot wounds.
Weeams brother, Waymon Weeams, 23, also of Marianna, was also shot during the altercation. He was shot once in the arm and was treated and released at the hospital.
According to the report, officers found Jones inside the home of his brother, Demetrick Howard, at 2123 Shadywood just before 8 p.m. A police officer was talking to Howard about him parking a big truck in the residential area and warrants for him out of St. Francis County District Court when they observed Jones. After securing the house, Howard confirmed that Jones was inside the residence, and he talked him into coming outside to surrender to police.
Jones is also being held on outstanding misdemeanor warrants from Wynne and Jonesboro where he is wanted for failure to appear. Jones is also wanted by Memphis authorities for aggravated robbery.
He is being held in the St. Francis County Jail on a bond initially set at $150,000. He was scheduled to be arraigned in District Court this afternoon.
The East Arkansas Enterprise Community Inc. will be hosting its third annual Health Fair on Saturday, April 10, from 9 a.m. until. 2 p.m., at the Forrest City Civic Center.
Admission is free.
Available will be screenings in a wide range of health issues, including blood pressure, glucose, prostate cancer, hearing awareness, body fat calculations, breast care, HIV, osteoporosis, vision/glaucoma and WIC certifications.
There will also be discussions of various health risks, including smoking, alcohol and substance abuse, AIDS, mammograms, prostate cancer and others.
Child fingerprinting will also be available.
There will also be free information on medication assistance, child safety, poison control immunizations for adults and children, contraceptive counseling, anti-tobacco information, environmental and public health services, nutrition and health meal planning, personal hygiene and more.
The Health Fair is for adults and children. There will be snacks and drinks, face painting, balloons and door prizes.
The theme is "PREVENTIVE." Anyone wanting more information may visit the EAEC office at 1000 Airport Road in Forrest City.
By KENDALL OWENS
T-H Staff Writer
A change in seasons could give road crews working on the Highway 1 bypass the break needed to complete the long-awaited project.
Ray Woodruff, with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, said warmer weather should allow crews to get back to the job of finishing the work. The southern leg of the bypass opened in December. "Hopefully, the weather will give us a break, and we'll be able to get out there and get this completed," Woodruff said.
According to Woodruff, most of the remaining work on the bypass, which will reroute traffic on Hwy. 1 away from downtown Forrest City and past the Federal Correctional InstitutionForrest City, is to be done on the Interstate 40 interchange just west of town.
"The majority of the work that we have left is really out at the interstate interchange. Once that project is completed, we have some shoulder work on the northern end of the bypass, and it should be ready to open," Woodruff said.
The bypass project, which began construction in 2000, will include interchanges at Interstate 40 and Highway 70. It is being constructed in two separate projects, and two additional lanes of traffic (making a total of four) will be added as traffic volume increases after the bypass is open. Construction is expected to be completed this summer on the first project.
Work on U.S. Highway 70 through downtown Forrest City, that sent motorists scrambling for alternate routes last week, should be completed today after AHTD crews work to resurface the stretch of highway between Forrest Street and the north/south Union Pacific Railroad track.
"The work on 70 was some maintenance work that needed to be taken care of, and we had our maintenance crews go out and strip up the roadway for resurfacing. The crew worked this morning to get new asphalt down," Woodruff said.
Woodruff also commented on work on Interstate 40 east of Forrest City. In August, crews started the process of replacing two bridges on near the 254 mile marker on I-40 at Beaver Slough near the Parkin exit. According to Woodruff, work there is still much work to be done on the bridges.
"The bridge work on Interstate 40 is proceeding right now. Once they've completed the eastbound bridge, they will start on the westbound side. There is also some resurfacing work to be done in that area, but that will only take us a couple of months to complete if the weather works with us. Right now, the biggest issue is the work on the bridges which will take a considerable period of time," he said.
While on the issue of bridges, Woodruff said that work between Colt and Wynne to widen Hwy. 1 should start back up in earnest soon after crews spent much of the winter widening the bridges.
Two county offices so far will have contested races, as the candidate filing period nears the beginning of its final full week.
The filing deadline is Tuesday, March 30.
Since the last report on Friday, Author B. Witherspoon has filed for St. Francis County Judge, and will face incumbent Carl Cisco in the May 18 Democratic Primary.
In addition, Tammy Talley has filed for the County Treasurer position, putting her against incumbent Ann Harbin.
The only other candidate filing was Brenda White, for reelection to the Widener City Council, Position 2.
While several incumbents have filed, at least one county position
will have a new face after long time quorum court member Henry
Wilkinson said he will not seek re-election to the District 6
position on the St. Francis County Quorum Court. Wilkinson, who
also serves as chairman of the county's budget committee said
recently that he and his wife plan to move to Northwest Arkansas
to be closer to their children. Currently, only Gary Hughes of
Caldwell is seeking the post being vacated by Wilkinson.