A Louisiana man who stole a Hot Springs man's car twice last summer before he was caught driving it by Hot Springs police was sentenced to six years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to felony charges.
William Herbert Dawson Jr., 51, who lists a Bastrop, La., address, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to one count of theft of property over $5,000, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, two counts of failure to comply and one count of failure to appear and was sentenced to six years in prison on each count, all to run concurrently.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on June 21, 2019, shortly after 9 p.m., a local man, 31, reported the theft of his white 2013 Dodge Dart, which he said was valued at $15,000, from outside his residence on Orange Street. He told police the theft occurred sometime between 8:30 p.m. on June 19 and 9 p.m. June 21 and provided a detailed description of the car, including a Batman decal on the back glass.
The affidavit notes the value of the vehicle was checked through the National Automobile Dealers Association and showed a value range of $3,500 to $7,000.
On June 21, shortly before 3:30 a.m., police officers spotted a white Dodge Dart turning onto Garland Avenue from Central Avenue and noted it had a Batman decal on the back so they stopped it at the corner of Central and Hagen Street.
The driver, identified as Dawson, was taken into custody and later questioned by detectives. When asked about the car, Dawson admitted he stole it. He said on June 19, he was checking vehicle doors and found the Dart unlocked. He found the ignition key in the floorboard and drove the car around "for a while" before "stashing it a few streets over."
Two days later, on June 21, he went back and found that the car was still parked where he had left it so he got in it and drove it around again until he was pulled over by police a short time later.
Dawson was released on bond on Aug. 9, 2019, and after initially failing to appear for his arraignment, resulting in his rearrest, he pleaded not guilty on Sept. 23 and was released on bond again. He failed to appear for another hearing in April 2020, but it was later discovered he was in custody in Louisiana.
He was extradited back to Hot Springs where he had been in custody since July 11 and will be given credit for time served.