A local man on probation was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges Thursday after a brief scuffle with Hot Springs police for allegedly threatening to burn down his mother's house and kill her.
Freddie Lee Brown Jr., 28, who lists his mother's Randy Court residence as his address, was taken into custody at the scene shortly before 1 p.m. and charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest and criminal trespass.
Brown was being held on a $3,750 bond and was set to appear Friday in Garland County District Court. According to court records, Brown was convicted on April 21, 2020, of felony fleeing and sentenced to four years' supervised probation.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 12:30 p.m., HSPD Officer Nicolas Cato and Cpl. Ben Mitchell responded to the 100 block of Randy Court regarding threats where a woman stated her son, identified as Brown, was at her residence threatening to "burn the property."
Officers located Brown sitting on the front porch in a chair that was "leaned up against and blocking the front door." His mother was located on a balcony attached to the side of the house and she told them Brown no longer lived there with her, but would often return and "sleep overnight in a storage shed" that was separate from the house.
She said Brown had soaked a towel in lighter fluid and was threatening to burn down the house. Upon hearing his mother say this, Brown allegedly stated he was only going to burn "his property and the shed."
Officers noted a towel and a bottle of lighter fluid at the entrance to the storage shed. At that point, his mother told police she wanted Brown banned from the property, so officers told him to leave and warned him if he returned he would be arrested.
As Brown walked away, he allegedly yelled repeatedly toward his mother who had gone back inside the house. The affidavit notes that due to Brown being "as upset as he was" about being banned and his "history with law enforcement," officers parked a block away out of concern he might return.
At around 12:45 p.m., officers drove by the residence again and saw Brown standing in the driveway leaning up against the mailbox. Officers made contact with him and told him he was under arrest for criminal trespassing, but allowed him to call a friend to make arrangements to retrieve his property from the shed.
Brown was asked to put his hands behind his back, but allegedly refused "both verbally and physically." He reportedly attempted to pull his arms back to his front repeatedly. Once he was cuffed, he laid down on the ground, refusing to walk to the police unit.
At that point, Brown was searched and officers allegedly found a lighter in his pants pocket. Despite the fact Brown weighs approximately 260 pounds, officers had to lift him and carry him to the car.
While en route to the detention center, Brown allegedly kicked the back door of the unit repeatedly "in an attempt to cause damage or provide a means of escape." He also allegedly made multiple comments about how he told his mother "he would burn the house down and kill her if she had him arrested again."