A homeless man who was arrested on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges Monday after allegedly being caught with stolen credit and debit cards and drugs claims he was mugged, "shot up" with meth and given the cards by two men.
John Wesley Holder, 23, who lists "city streets" as his address, was taken into custody shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday and charged with three counts of theft of property of a credit or debit card and possession of a controlled substance, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and fleeing on foot.
Holder remained in custody Tuesday in lieu of $11,500 bond and is set to appear today in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a local man filed a report with Hot Springs police alleging that around 7 a.m. Monday he discovered his wallet, containing debit and credit cards and ID, had been taken from his home on Palm Street. He had last seen it around 11 p.m. Sunday.
Around 11:30 a.m. Monday, the man received a notification on his phone that his debit card just been declined at E-Z Mart, 505 Summer St., so he drove there to get information on who had been trying to use it. Police obtained video footage of a man attempting to use the card and identified him as Holder.
About an hour later, Officer Tyler Ward was flagged down in front of the same E-Z Mart by the victim who had Holder there with him and stated, "There he is. That's the guy who took my cards." As Ward got out of his unit, Holder handed the man three bank cards and his ID and said, "I'll take care of this. Please don't let them arrest me."
Ward told Holder to lean against his unit and noted he was "acting nervous" and clinching his fists in his pockets. The officer asked Holder if he had anything "I need to know about" and Holder said, "I found this meth" and took a baggie containing a white crystal substance out of his pocket.
At that point, Holder allegedly attempted to swallow the baggie and Ward grabbed him, placed him against his unit and ordered him to spit it out. Holder allegedly complied, but then twisted free as Ward was trying to get Holder's shoulder bag off him and fled on foot east on Hobson Avenue.
Ward followed Holder to the back of a residence on Kipps Alley where he evaded the officer briefly, but then a passerby saw him hiding under some steps behind the house and pointed him out and he was taken into custody.
The baggie was found where Holder had spit it out and the substance, 0.8 gram, was sent to the state crime lab for testing.
Holder reportedly complained that he has lung cancer and "his entire body was hurting," so he was transported by LifeNet to National Park Medical Center. The victim told police he got all his stolen property back, but he still wanted to press charges.
Holder was cleared medically at NPMC shortly after 3 p.m. and taken to the detention center. He was questioned about the incident and reportedly stated he was mugged on South Patterson Street by two unknown white males who "held him down, shot him up with meth in both arms and gave him a wallet."
He said the men told him if he didn't buy them cigarettes he would be physically harmed.
Local on 11/06/2019