The female accomplice of a Hot Springs man sentenced to 20 years in prison last month for the armed robbery of a local hotel last year was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to her part in the crime.
Natalie Kay Kindt, 35, who was originally charged with aggravated robbery, punishable by up to life in prison, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to an amended felony charge of breaking or entering, punishable by up to six years, and a misdemeanor count of theft of property, and was sentenced to five years and ordered to pay $540 in court costs.
Kindt also pleaded no contest to two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia from an unrelated arrest on May 28 and was sentenced to five years in prison on each count, to run concurrently with each other and with her sentence from the hotel robbery. Additional charges of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, possession of meth with purpose to deliver and unauthorized use of another person's property to facilitate a crime were withdrawn.
Chase Michael Landry, 19, pleaded guilty on Aug. 6 to aggravated robbery for the Dec. 18, 2018, armed robbery of the Country Inn and Suites by Radisson, 4307 Central Ave., and to robbery involving the Dec. 15 armed robbery of a man trying to buy a cellphone from Landry. He was sentenced to 20 years on each count, to run concurrently.
Landry had remained in custody on zero bond from the time of his arrest the day of the robbery until his plea last month. Kindt was arrested at the same time, but was later released on $25,000 bond on Feb. 18. She was set to stand trial Oct. 30 on the aggravated robbery charge and on Monday on the drug charges from the May 28 arrest.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the hotel robbery, on Dec. 18, 2018, shortly before 6 a.m., the Country Inn was robbed at gunpoint by a white male wearing a red hooded jacket with "Pocahontas" on the front, dark-colored pants, a black bandanna covering his face, and dark gloves.
He was armed with a small silver handgun, which he pointed at the female clerk on duty while demanding money from the register. He stole $252 in cash and then fled on foot headed toward the Quality Inn & Suites next door at 4319 Central.
Just before the robbery, a white female, later identified as Kindt, had walked into the hotel and attempted to get change for a $10 bill, but the clerk told her she couldn't do it for her. She then left walking toward the Quality Inn and the robber came in a few moments later from the same area.
Suspecting the female was involved, a description of both was broadcast to officers. It was also determined the robber took 11 $20 bills, two $10 bills, two $5 bills and two $1 bills.
About 15 minutes after the robbery, officers located Kindt with Landry a block away outside of Kroger, 4407 Central Ave. The hotel clerk was brought to the scene and identified Kindt as the woman who had come into the hotel earlier and noted Landry was similar in build to the robber and wearing the same pants but a different jacket.
Kindt claimed she didn't know Landry but witnesses in the area said they had seen them together earlier and Landry had mentioned Kindt was his girlfriend. It was also determined Kindt was staying at the Quality Inn.
A review of security footage at the Country Inn showed the robber first entered the hotel lobby at 5:24 a.m. but the clerk was not at the front desk, so he left headed toward the Quality Inn. At that time, he was wearing the same black pants and a gray hooded jacket like the one Landry was wearing when he was detained.
Landry was found to be in possession of 11 $20 bills, one $10 bill, one $5 bill and two $1 bills, for a total of $237 in cash. It was learned just prior to being detained, Kindt had spent two $10 bills and one $5 bill to purchase a drink and a $20 gift card at Kroger at 6:06 a.m., which accounted for the missing money.
A search warrant was obtained for Kindt's room at the Quality Inn where police located a small silver .25-caliber handgun, a red hooded jacket with "Pocahontas" on the front, a black bandanna, and a pair of dark gloves, exactly matching what the robber was wearing.
Landry told police he had been staying with Kindt for about a day before the robbery.
According to the affidavit on the drug charges, on May 28, shortly after 6 a.m., agents with the 18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force, Homeland Security and the Hot Springs Police SWAT team executed a search warrant at a residence in the 300 block of Highline Street and located Richard Glenn Tackett, 56, a convicted felon, and Kindt inside.
Investigators found a .410 shotgun, a .22-caliber rifle, ammunition, three sets of digital scales, empty baggies, two glass smoking devices with meth residue, two syringes loaded with meth and two baggies with 4.6 grams of meth. Both Tackett and Kindt were arrested.
Tackett, who has remained in custody since his arrest, is scheduled for a hearing on Nov. 6 to determine the admissibility of any statements he made to investigators after his arrest.
The arrests of Tackett and Kindt were reportedly part of "Operation Blue Sky," a five-month sting operation targeting meth distribution in Garland County by a group with Aryan Brotherhood ties which resulted in the arrest of 32 suspects and the recovery of over 4 pounds of meth.
Local on 09/24/2019