A reportedly "delusional" man arrested last year after chasing a Hot Springs police unit while in possession of drugs, who later drew international media attention when he was arrested for forcing open an emergency door on a plane waiting to take off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, pleaded guilty to the local charge Thursday.
Antonio Demar Murdock, 31, who listed both Texas and Malvern addresses when he was arrested in Hot Springs and a Florida address when he was arrested in New York, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, and was sentenced to four years' probation, fined $500 and ordered to pay $565 in court costs. An additional misdemeanor count of criminal trespass was withdrawn earlier.
Murdock was arrested on the charges Sept. 26 and released two days later on a $3,000 bond. His arraignment had to be postponed after his arrest in Queens, N.Y., on Dec. 21, 2020, and he failed to appear for the rescheduled arraignment on Feb. 9, resulting in his arrest Feb. 17. He pleaded not guilty on March 2 and a mental evaluation was ordered on March 10 by Judge Marcia Hearnsberger, but he was ultimately set for a disposition hearing on Thursday and pleaded guilty.
"He has mental health issues," Terri Harris, his court-appointed public defender, told The Sentinel-Record Friday.
"At the time of his arrest (in Hot Springs), he had a medical marijuana card, but it was from another state. The plea agreement was reasonable all things considered."
"The state had concerns about his mental health and had exhausted those remedies," Deputy Prosecutor Trent Daniels said. "We felt he needed to continue to be monitored."
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 26, shortly before 4:30 a.m., Officer Matthew Cheatham was standing in the back parking lot of the police department, 641 Malvern Ave., speaking with Cpl. Mike Brown when they saw Sgt. Kirk Zaner pull into the back entrance gate and swipe his key card to get in.
As the gate began to open, a car pulled up behind Zaner's unit on Jefferson Street and as Zaner started to pull forward into the lot, a man jumped out of the car and began running toward the rear of Zaner's unit. Cheatham and Brown began yelling at Zaner to warn him about the approaching suspect who "continued to run at full speed as if he was attempting to attack (Zaner)."
Zaner heard their warnings and sped forward to get distance between him and the man, who continued running toward his car. Cheatham and Brown drew their duty pistols "for fear of the subject's intentions" and ordered the man to stop.
They noted the man, later identified as Murdock, "made it halfway through" the gated back lot before he finally complied and put his hands in the air and then got on the ground. As they approached him, they noted Murdock was "speaking very erratically" and claimed there was someone in his car trying to kill him.
At that point, Murdock was detained for trespassing and the officers checked his vehicle and found there was no one inside it. Murdock then claimed the person was "inside his engine bay." Cheatham noted that "it was quickly determined (Murdock) was delusional."
During an inventory of Murdock's vehicle, a 2020 Kia, officers found 15 various-sized containers of suspected marijuana, a total of 135.9 grams, or almost 5 ounces. Murdock admitted the marijuana was his and that he was unable to provide a medical marijuana card.
According to The Associated Press, Murdock and a female companion, Brianna Greco, were both arrested on Dec. 21, 2020, when a Delta flight out of LaGuardia Airport in New York City had to be halted after the couple, traveling with a Great Dane puppy, fled the aircraft using an emergency slide while the jet was on the runway about to take off for Atlanta.
"Witnesses reported seeing a panicky Murdock force open a cabin door and jump out using the emergency chute leading to the runway. He was quickly followed by Greco with the puppy in tow," the AP reported.
Murdock and Greco, 27, who both listed a Lake Worth, Fla., address, were taken into custody on charges including criminal mischief and trespassing, among others. The aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the remaining passengers got off and were later put on alternate flights.
Murdock was released without bail at an arraignment the next day, while Greco was released on a desk appearance ticket. The dog, who The New York Post reported was named Rain, was turned over to an animal shelter.
Murdock reportedly told The New York Post outside court, "I asked them three or four times to let me off. They said they were stopping the plane and they never stopped the plane, and I got to the point where I was just feeling dizzy. I didn't even know there was a slot to go down the slide. I just thought it was a regular door."