ARDOT to host public involvement meeting for I-555 discussion

JONESBORO — The Arkansas Department of Transportation will conduct a public involvement meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss the preliminary findings of the Interstate 555 Corridor Study. These corridors have experienced significant growth in recent years, and this study considered proposed improvements to satisfy these new demands. The study examined traffic operations at interchanges along the I-555 corridor between Dan Avenue and Bay.

The in-person meeting will be held at the City Council Chambers of the Municipal Center, 300 S. Church St. in Jonesboro. The public may also view meeting materials and provide written comments on the study website, bit.ly/472G1a0.

The meeting materials will be available through Dec. 1. A Spanish translation of the presentation is available on the website. Comment forms may be submitted online to ARDOT or the form can be printed and mailed to Environmental Division, 10324 Interstate 30, Little Rock72209.

Those without internet access should contact Daniel Byram at 501-569-2592 or daniel.byram@ardot.gov to ask questions about the study.

Anyone needing more information can email environmentalpimeetings ***

Teamwork making dent in

Northeast Arkansas drug trade, says prosecutor

WALNUT RIDGE — A new drug task force in Northeast Arkansas has seen some major dividends in the number of arrests and drugs taken off the streets in the past few months, a prosecutor said Monday.

3rd Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Devon Holder said the district’s Drug Task Force, which covers Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp counties, has been in operation for about three months. In the first quarter of operation, the DTF arrested 40 people and seized a street value of nearly $968,000 in illegal drugs. Holder said more cases in the district are still pending.

Holder said the success so far can be attributed to the work of officers in the judicial district. “This could not have been accomplished without the support and cooperation of the local sheriff’s offices and police departments. To see all agencies working together for a common goal in the arrests of the individuals who are involved in the illegal distribution of controlled substances is an amazing sight,” Holder said. “To the surrounding Drug Task Forces, including the 2nd Judicial District and 16th Judicial District, and the Arkansas State Police, thank you for your support and cooperation.”

Holder said he also wanted to thank the Izard County Sheriff’s Office for assisting with the overdoses that have happened in the district.

“We are seeing more and more of these as the fentanyl and heroin are becoming more prevalent,” Holder said.

As for the teamwork of officers, Holder said it has been seen everywhere since the DTF began.

“I want to personally thank my full-time Drug Task Force officers, officers that are assigned to the Drug Task Force from local departments, and every single local law enforcement agency for the number of hours and hard work that they have put into drug enforcement,” Holder said. “Our sheriffs and chiefs throughout the district have logged many hours in assisting our officers, even coming out late at night to assist us. I want to reiterate to the individuals in the illicit drug trade that the invisible walls of city and county lines are no more.”

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JONESBORO — A Jonesboro man faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence after drug task force agents found him in possession of firearms and illegal drugs.

Craighead County District Judge David Boling found probable cause to charge Robert Lee Lewis, 51, with five felonies – simultaneous possession of drugs and firearm, being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of methamphetamine with the purpose to deliver and possession of marijuana with the purpose to deliver.

He set bond at $150,000.

The drugs and firearms charges is a Class Y felony, punishable by up to life in prison, and the judge noted that this is the fourth time he has been arrested on a Class Y charge. In fact, he was sentenced to 18 years in 2001 for aggravated robbery, according to online court records.

According to a probable cause affidavit, agents executed a search warrant at Lewis’ home on Friday and found a .380 pistol, 5.5 grams of meth in multiple bags and 45 grams of marijuana in multiple bags.

Lewis was ordered to appear Nov. 20 in Craighead County Circuit Court.

@ardot.gov.