The recovery of a stolen car resulted in the arrests of a local man and woman early Tuesday on felony charges after Hot Springs police allegedly found drugs in the woman's possession.
Fredrick Demont Hayes, 41, who lists a Hickory Street address, and Sharliene Ann Fletcher, 51, who lists a Pinewood St. address, were both taken into custody shortly after 6 a.m. with Hayes charged with a felony count of theft of property over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison, and Fletcher charged with possession of a controlled substance, meth, punishable by up to 10 years, and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years.
Hayes, a felon on parole, was being held on zero bond and Fletcher, who lists no prior felony history, was being held on a $7,000 bond. Both also had warrants for failure to appear and both were set to appear Wednesday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 6 a.m., Officer William Stockwell noticed a white 2004 Mercury Marquis with a damaged headlight in the 200 block of Valley Street with a man and woman standing next to it and noted it matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen in the city earlier.
He made contact with the man, identified as Hayes, and woman, identified as Fletcher, and checked the vehicle identification number which confirmed it had been reported stolen. Fletcher reportedly told him he was the one driving the car and claimed he borrowed it from a friend and when he went to return it the friend was gone.
He told Stockwell he "didn't want to abandon the vehicle so he kept it." He was reportedly unable to provide the name of his friend but claimed he borrowed it from the son of the registered owner. The vehicle was valued at $1,300.
Fletcher stated she was just the passenger and didn't know the vehicle was stolen. She was taken into custody along with Hayes after the failure to appear warrant was discovered and in searching her purse, Stockwell reportedly found a zip-top bag and a metal container with a total of 2.3 grams of what later tested positive for meth and a syringe.
According to court records, Hayes was previously convicted in 2009 in Nevada County of second-degree battery and terroristic threatening and sentenced to five years' probation. In 2018 in Hempstead County, he was convicted of possession of a firearm by certain persons and sentenced to five years in prison, but was later paroled.