A Benton man who allegedly broke into a local construction site earlier this month and stole multiple items was arrested Thursday after Hot Springs police posted photos of a suspect and his vehicle on social media.
Matthew Paul Brown, 34, was taken into custody around 3:45 p.m. Thursday and charged with felony counts of breaking or entering and theft of property more than $1,000, each punishable by up to six years in prison. He was later released on $5,000 bond and is set to appear Feb. 6 in district court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Jan. 9, around 4 p.m., patrol officers responded to a construction site at 106 Catalina Circle after it was reported someone had entered the site and taken construction supplies, including extension cords, cable, 5,000 feet of rope twine and two heating and air units, with a total value of $1,660.
Detective Jarrett Cantrell reviewed surveillance footage from the site and saw a white male picking up various items from inside the unfinished interior of the building. At one point, the man is seen attempting to gain entry to a locked door using a long pry bar. After his attempt, he looked up directly into the security camera.
The footage also revealed a white extended cab Ford F-150 pickup driving onto the property moments before and leaving after the thefts.
Cantrell asked Officer 1st Class Joey Williams with the department's public information office to disseminate the photos of the suspect and pickup to get the public's help in identifying him. Cantrell said he received numerous calls from people stating the suspect was Brown.
Cantrell searched for any transactions Brown might have been recently involved in and discovered he had reportedly sold scrap metal to several recycling companies. Cantrell compared photos taken of Brown during the transactions and his driver's license photo to the surveillance image and was reportedly able to identify him as the suspect.
It was also confirmed Brown has a white 2007 Ford F-150 pickup registered in his name.
Local on 01/27/2018