Two people were arrested over the weekend in connection with separate alleged vehicle thefts in the area.
Shavers Desean Parker, 30, who lists a Crescent Avenue address, was arrested shortly after noon Saturday and charged with felony theft by receiving, punishable by up to six years in prison. He remained in custody Monday in lieu of $2,500 bond, and is set to appear Oct. 3 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Hot Springs police Officer Joey Vanderburg observed a tan Mazda Protege driving without a license plate at around noon Saturday and initiated a traffic stop in the 300 block of Spring Street. The driver, later identified as Parker, initially attempted to exit the vehicle.
He reportedly complied with Vanderburg's commands to remain in the vehicle, but left the door open. At that time, the officer noticed he was wearing black gloves. Vanderburg closed the driver's side door and made contact with Parker, who allegedly stated he did not have any paperwork on the vehicle.
Vanderburg noted the vehicle was very clean, with the exception of a few of Parker's alleged belongings and the remains of a dealer agreement tag on the rear window. A piece of paper was reportedly covering the vehicle identification number.
Parker allegedly claimed he was buying the vehicle from "a lady," but was unable to provide any information other than the name "Maria." The officer discovered Parker's driver's license was suspended and the vehicle was registered to Lloyd's Auto Sales, 1814 Albert Pike Road.
A representative from Lloyd's told police the vehicle was missing from the lot and was last seen on the property the day before. The dealership confirmed the location of the missing vehicle using GPS, and opted to pursue charges against Parker. The value of the vehicle was estimated at $3,000.
During an interview, Parker initially maintained he was attempting to purchase the vehicle and later allegedly asked what could be done if he just pleaded guilty to the charges.
In a separate incident, Hillary Diane Teague, 37, who lists a Little Rock address, was arrested at around 2:30 p.m. Friday on a felony warrant for theft over $5,000, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for allegedly stealing a pickup truck from the parking lot of Oaklawn Racing and Gaming back in June.
She was later released on $3,500 bond, and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on Oct. 3.
According to the affidavit, a woman reported her blue Ford F-150 had been stolen from Oaklawn, 2705 Central Ave., on June 10. She told police she attempted to leave the facility that night but discovered she did not have her keys. She went to her vehicle thinking she left her keys inside and found it was no longer in the parking lot.
Oaklawn's surveillance personnel stated they witnessed a man in a dark colored shirt exit a gray Dodge Durango, enter the complainant's vehicle and drive it off the property.
In other security footage, the victim is seen dropping her keys and money inside the building and a man is seen coming behind her to pick up the money and later her keys.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the same man making contact with Teague and then leaving the area in a gray Dodge Durango. Teague and the man were positively identified by their ID cards that were scanned upon entering the building.
The pair reportedly returned a short time later, scanning the parking lot for the victim's vehicle using her key fob. When they located the Ford, the man was reportedly seen on camera exiting the Dodge and entering the Ford. He then allegedly fled the property in the stolen pickup, heading south on Central Ave.
On June 11, Officer Chris Chapin observed the vehicle in question sitting in the cemetery at the intersection of Golf Links Road and Fontana Street. The truck, valued at $20,000, was recovered, but several items were missing from inside with an estimated value of $2,509.
Local on 09/26/2017