A local felon and sex offender was arrested late Thursday after he was allegedly found in the back of a car with a woman and in possession of drugs, a stolen gun and counterfeit money.
Demarian Tyrell Ford, 42, who lists an Enterprise Drive address, was taken into custody shortly before 10 p.m. and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, second-degree forgery and possession of drug paraphernalia, each punishable by up to 20 years, possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 10 years, and theft by receiving and possession of a firearm by certain persons, each punishable by up to six years.
Ford, who was also charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana with purpose to deliver, was being held on zero bond and was set to appear Friday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Hot Springs police Lt. Larry Patrick was patrolling in the 100 block of Torrence Street when he spotted a suspicious vehicle backed into the vacant lot behind Head Start School.
Patrick put his spotlight on the car and saw there were at least two people in the back seat, a white female and a Black male, and the male "immediately started scrambling as if he was hiding something or getting dressed," he states.
As Patrick approached the driver's side of the car, he saw the man's pants were undone and he had a holster on his hip. He also noted a syringe cap in the woman's lap.
A computer check showed the license plate for the car returned to a different vehicle. The man, identified as Ford, was asked if he had a gun and he said yes and indicated it was in the seat pocket in front of him.
A check of Ford's criminal history showed he was convicted on Sept. 12, 2017, on a felony count of failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements.
As Patrick went to remove Ford from the vehicle, he noted a loaded syringe sticking out from the seat next to Ford with the needle exposed. Wedged between Ford's hip and the armrest was a black bag that was found to contain numerous baggies and a glass jar with 1.1 grams of what later tested positive for meth. A glass pipe was found in the floorboard.
In searching the rest of the vehicle, officers reportedly found a set of digital scales with residue and in Ford's wallet they allegedly found numerous counterfeit bills, including four $100 bills, 15 $10 bills and nine $5 bills. There was also a second jar containing 2.3 grams of marijuana found.
After Ford was taken into custody, the firearm, a black 9-mm handgun, was recovered from the seat pocket and a computer check determined it had been reported stolen in Garland County.
When questioned later, Ford allegedly said he was "holding the gun for a friend" and while he admitted to being in possession of the drugs, he claimed they were not his. Ford asked if the officers could give his wallet to his wife and when he was told no, he allegedly said, "Is it because of the counterfeit money?"
Ford was previously arrested on Sept. 16, 2020, for failure to register as a sex offender or report a change of address and was released the next day on a $3,500 bond. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on Dec. 28 and a hearing to determine the admissibility of any statements he made after his arrest is set for Feb. 22 in Garland County Circuit Court.