A local man who allegedly attacked an Arkansas State Police trooper who was trying to arrest him for driving drunk earlier this year pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Garland County Circuit Court to felony and misdemeanor charges.
William David Carr, 57, who has remained in custody in lieu of $10,000 bond since his arrest Feb. 28, pleaded not guilty to felony counts of second-degree battery and possession of a controlled substance, hydrocodone, each punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated, first offense, refusal to submit and two counts of second-degree terroristic threatening, punishable by up to one year in jail.
A hearing to determine the admissibility of any statements Carr made after his arrest is set for Aug. 18 in circuit court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Feb. 28, shortly before 10:30 a.m., ASP Trooper Lukas Tankersley attempted to make a traffic stop on a silver Mercury passenger car after reportedly observing the driver exceeding the speed limit on Flemming Street and then run the stop sign at Central Avenue and cross northbound traffic to the turn lane without signaling.
The driver, later identified as Carr, turned onto Hobson Avenue and began to speed up as Tankersley activated his siren. Carr finally stopped his vehicle in the traffic lane and got out and Tankersley noted, "I could tell he was extremely mad."
The trooper got out and ordered Carr to get on the ground, but he allegedly refused and "made several threats to cause bodily harm to me," Tankersley states, noting Carr's speech was slurred and as he put handcuffs on him he noted a strong odor of intoxicants and that he had bloodshot, watery eyes.
He started to walk Carr toward the back seat of his unit as Carr allegedly continued cursing at him and threatening him. The trooper attempted to put him in the back seat, but he refused to get in.
"I decided to walk him back up in front of my dash camera to call for another unit to assist me," he said, but while walking Carr allegedly pulled away from him so he had to put him on the ground on the roadside on his stomach.
Carr allegedly rolled over onto his back and began kicking at Tankersley's face, hitting the trooper on his chin and his left eyebrow. After receiving several blows, Tankersley rolled him back on his stomach.
ASP Trooper First Class Kyle Sheldon and a civilian bystander assisted Tankersley in restraining Carr who allegedly continued to threaten the lives of both troopers. ASP Sgt. Kevin Steed arrived and they were able to stand Carr up and walk him to Tankersley's unit where they finally got him in the back seat.
In searching Carr's vehicle, Steed reportedly found a large bottle of Smirnoff vodka that had been opened and hidden under the center console.
En route to the jail, Carr allegedly continued making threats against Tankersley and the other troopers and called Tankersley a "(expletive) (expletive) white boy" along with other obscenities numerous times, he said.
Once at the jail, the trooper was assisted by three deputies as Carr continued fighting. In searching Carr's belongings, the deputies reportedly found a misdemeanor amount of marijuana and a hydrocodone pill.
Carr continued cursing and making threats to "anyone else who messed with him," and they finally had to put him in a holding cell "due to how belligerent he was acting," the affidavit states.
Carr was initially held on $17,250 bond but his bond was reduced to $10,000 after his arraignment in Garland County District Court, but he remained in custody. Additional misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, possession of marijuana and obstructing government operations were later dismissed for time served.
Local on 05/01/2020