An Ashdown man was arrested on a felony charge Friday for allegedly pulling a gun on another motorist during a "road rage" incident on Malvern Avenue.
Frederick Scott Molette Moore, 41, who lists no prior criminal history, was taken into custody shortly after 1 p.m. and charged with aggravated assault, punishable by up to six years in prison. He was later released on a $2,500 bond and is set to appear Dec. 19 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at around 1 p.m. Friday, Hot Springs police Officer 1st Class John Albright responded to the 2700 block of Malvern Avenue to try to locate a red pickup truck pulling a trailer that was reportedly involved in a "road rage" incident where the driver of the truck displayed a handgun at a victim.
He located a red Dodge pickup pulling a gray trailer on Malvern near Sawtooth Oak Street and made a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Garland County Library, 1427 Malvern.
The driver of the pickup, later identified as Moore, reportedly stepped out of the vehicle without being told to do so and got down prone on the ground. He was ordered to stand up and walk back toward Albright, where he was detained.
Without being asked, Moore allegedly admitted to being involved in the road rage incident and to displaying a firearm in the process, so he was taken into custody. In checking his vehicle, Albright noted a strong odor of marijuana and saw a Ruger .45-caliber handgun "in plain view" between the driver's seat and center console.
He noted the gun was loaded with eight in the magazine and one in the chamber. He also found a small amount of marijuana in the middle of the dash.
HSPD Detective Jason Crump interviewed Moore and the male driver of the other vehicle involved. They both said the incident involved Moore making an improper lane change that caused the other driver to partially run off the road near the Big Red gas station, 2875 Malvern.
They both said a "brief confrontation" occurred as they traveled inbound on Malvern in about the 2700 block and Moore allegedly admitted to pulling out his handgun. The victim alleged Moore had a pistol in his hand and "pointed it directly at him."