A Hot Springs woman who was arrested on a warrant now faces felony charges for possession of meth, after deputies allegedly located a box containing several needles and suspected meth inside the woman's bra.
Brenda Gail Smith, 42, who lists a Freida Street address, was arrested at around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday on three counts of felony possession of meth, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, felony possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a warrant for failure to appear.
She remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of a $1,400 bond, and is set to appear in Garland county District Court on Sept. 5.
According to the affidavit, Cpl. Michael Roberson observed a woman, later identified as Smith, reported pushing a bicycle from behind a dumpster located behind Oaklawn Baptist Church.
Roberson approached Smith and asked her what she was doing, and she allegedly replied, "My bicycle had broken down and I was just coming back to get it."
When Roberson asked for her name, she reportedly gave him a false identity she had been known to use as an alias. When told there were no records for the name she gave, she reportedly identified herself as Brenda Smith.
A dispatcher informed Roberson that Smith reportedly had a warrant for a failure to appear and she was taken into custody. At the detention center, Deputy Wright reportedly located a black box inside Smith's bra.
It contained six syringes, two filled with liquid, a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance, a glass pipe and several cotton swabs. The contents of the box reportedly tested positive for methamphetamine, totaling 6.7 grams.
• A local man now faces a felony drug charge after he allegedly attempted to steal a purse from Dillard's in Hot Springs Mall and officers later found meth on his person.
Sean Phillip Cornell, 28, who lists a Central Avenue address, was taken into custody around 6:30 p.m. Monday and charged with felony possession of meth, punishable by up to six years in prison, resisting arrest and theft of property, both of which are misdemeanors.
He remains in custody in Lieu of a $3,500 bond, and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on Sept. 5.
According to the affidavit, Officer Johnathan Langford was working off-duty security at the retailer when he allegedly observed Cornell conceal a blue Calvin Klein purse, worth $98, in the crotch of his shorts.
Langford approached Cornell, asking him to place his hands on the clothing rack in front of him, but Cornell reportedly attempted to run. Langford was able to make a grab for the suspect's left arm and bring him to the ground.
Cornell was asked several times to put his hands behind his back, but he refused and reportedly continued to resist arrest by pulling his hands away from the officer and trying to stand up.
The officer reportedly pulled his Taser and gave a verbal command for Cornell to place his hands behind his back in an attempt to gain control of the situation. At that point, Cornell reportedly began to comply.
After he was placed in custody, Cornell pulled the purse from his pants and it was returned to Dillard's. While searching his person, Langford reportedly located a small bag containing what later tested positive for methamphetamine in his right front pocket of his shorts.
• A Hot Springs woman was cited for allegedly driving while intoxicated after her vehicle struck a utility pole head-on, causing power outages on Whittington Avenue Tuesday morning.
Haley Jo Denardo, 22, who lists a Baswell Court address, was cited for DWI, careless and prohibited driving and no proof of insurance.
A breathalyzer test was conducted in the field, and Denardo reportedly had a blood alcohol content of 0.23.
According to the report, Denardo stated she was traveling west on Whittington Avenue when she veered off the road, striking a utility pole on the northwest corner of Pine Street.
The impact caused the pole to break, and power lines were across the road. The accident reportedly resulted in a small power outage that was resolved Tuesday morning.
Local on 08/23/2017