A convicted felon who was initially arrested earlier this year for shooting a gun in the city limits was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for being in possession of a firearm.
Charles Robert Moses, 38, who has remained in custody on zero bond since his arrest July 15, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to possession of a firearm by certain persons, punishable by up to six years in prison, and in addition to prison time was ordered to pay $170 in court costs.
A misdemeanor count of discharging a firearm inside the city limits was dismissed by prosecutors after the case was bound over to circuit court. Moses was previously convicted in 1997 of aggravated robbery and theft of property, in 2006 of commercial burglary, and in 2011 of second-degree forgery and was still on parole.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on July 15, around 4:30 p.m., Hot Springs police Cpl. Eric Roberson was dispatched to the 100 block of Dell Street regarding someone reportedly shooting fireworks. Upon his arrival, he said he heard a loud popping sound coming from behind 110 Dell.
He drove up in the driveway and heard a second loud popping sound and then observed a man, later identified as Moses, sitting in a chair facing a wooded area behind the house. Two other men were standing beside him, all facing toward the woods. Roberson heard two more pops which sounded like gunshots and noted Moses had an object in his hand.
Roberson approached the men while identifying himself as police. All three turned around to face him and Roberson noted Moses was holding a black .25-caliber pistol. The officer ordered Moses to drop the gun and he complied.
Roberson took Moses into custody for discharging a gun in the city limits and asked him what he was shooting at and Moses said, "I was shooting into the woods." When asked, Moses admitted he was a convicted felon, who is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
Local on 10/06/2017