A local man who threatened several people with a gun outside a church earlier this year after they caught him breaking into their cars was sentenced to four years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to multiple charges.
Nickolas Wayne Wheeler, 23, who has remained in custody since his arrest May 9, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, theft of property involving a firearm and breaking or entering from the incident at the church and was sentenced to four years in prison on each count, all to run concurrently.
He also pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree forgery and theft by receiving over $1,000 for stealing checks and jewelry from his grandmother and was sentenced to four years in prison, also to run concurrently. He was also ordered to pay a total of $1,200 in court costs and fees from the various incidents.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the church incident, on May 9, shortly before 8 p.m., Hot Springs police responded to the 1300 block of Seventh Street regarding a disturbance. Officers spoke to two men and a woman who had been at Hot Springs Baptist Church, 144 Weston Road, earlier for the woman's nursing school graduation.
After they left, they discovered that Wheeler, who was at the graduation with them, had possibly stolen items from other people at the church. They confronted Wheeler about the thefts and an argument ensued.
During the argument, Wheeler told one man he would "put a bullet in his head if he did not back off" and then Wheeler pulled out a small handgun from his waistband, "racked" the slide and pointed it at the man. The other two witnesses ran to seek cover and Wheeler fled the scene.
Other officers arrived in the area and spotted a man matching Wheeler's description. They ordered him to stop, but he fled into a wooded area on foot. After a pursuit that lasted several minutes, Wheeler was taken into custody and officers found the magazine to a .380-caliber handgun in his possession.
When questioned, Wheeler confirmed he had argued with three people earlier about him stealing items. Wheeler admitted he did have a handgun but denied pointing it at anyone. He said he threw the gun away while he was running from the police and the reason he ran was because he knew he had warrants and was "tired of dealing with the police."
Later that night, Detective Mark Fallis spoke to a woman who had also been at the church that evening. She said she had parked her car in the parking lot around 5:30 p.m. and there was a .380 handgun in the console.
She said she returned to her vehicle around 7 p.m. and started driving home when she discovered the gun was missing. She said she believed her vehicle had been unlocked and noted there was no damage or signs of forced entry.
When questioned further about the gun, Wheeler admitted to entering a vehicle at the church and stealing a .380 handgun which he later threw away in the woods while running from police.
Local on 11/06/2019