Argument over sound on television leads to arrest

JONESBORO — A $35,000 cash/surety bond was set Wednesday for a Jonesboro man arrested on Christmas Day after an argument over the sound on the television, according to Jonesboro police. Willis Dalton Brewer, 43, of Jonesboro was arrested Dec.

25 after officers went to a home on Main Street due to an altercation.

Jonesboro police said they spoke with Brewer’s mother at the home, who told authorities Brewer had been drinking and had attacked her 76-yearold husband.

Officers then found Brewer asleep in a bed and walked him outside. Police then spoke with the 76-year-old, who is Brewer’s father.

“He stated that he went to have breakfast with his daughter, who lives directly behind him, and when returning home, noticed that Willis Brewer had been drinking. Inside the residence, Willis Brewer was watching television with the volume turned up and when asking him to turn it back down, Willis Brewer became angry and started to yell. During this argument, Willis Brewer struck his father in the face, leaving a red mark on his left cheek,” Jonesboro police said in the affidavit.

Brewer’s mother then went outside and called police.

However, Brewer’s father told authorities that the argument continued into the kitchen, where Brewer reportedly pushed his father to the ground. Later, police said Brewer grabbed his mother, shook her and tried to stop her from calling anyone for help and got into an argument with another family member.

Police also said Brewer “heard police arriving and runs upstairs and jumps in his bed, as if he had been sleeping,” according to the affidavit.

Brewer was arrested on suspicion of domestic battering-2nd degree, criminal mischief-1st degree and assault on a family or household member-2nd degree.

A $35,000 bond was set for Brewer, who will be arraigned Feb. 20 in circuit court. A nocontact order was set for Brewer and the victims in the case.

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LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday called for the head of the Board of Corrections to immediately resign in the latest round of a dispute over who runs the state's prison system.

Sanders' letter came after Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness requested Wednesday that 138 National Guard members be deployed to work full time in the state's prisons to 'help fill in staffing gaps.'

Magness intends to finish his term, which ends in two years, Corrections Department spokesperson Dina Tyler said in an email Friday to The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Magness was appointed to the board in 1999 by Sanders' father, then-Gov. Mike Huckabee.

The dispute stems from the Sanders administration moving forward with opening 622 temporary prison beds that the board has not approved.

Board members have said opening the temporary beds would jeopardize the safety of inmates and staff.

Arkansas' prisons are currently above capacity, with more than 1,600 additional state inmates being held in county jails.

Sanders wrote in her letter Friday that if the board wants more beds, it should reinstate Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri and implement his 'plan to safely reopen beds with no additional personnel needed.'

'I will not inject our guardsmen and women into a purely political situation caused by the very person requesting them,' Sanders said in her letter to Magness.

Tyler noted that the guard

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members would not directly supervise inmates but would fill support positions for security, including in towers and at entrances. A similar strategy has been used in other states such as Florida and New Hampshire, the department said.

The board last week suspended Profiri and sued the state over a new law that took away the panel's hiring and firing power over Profiri and and gave it to the governor. A judge issued a temporary order blocking the law and set a hearing for next week in the case. Attorney General Tim Griffin has asked the court to reconsider its order.

The blocked law also would have given the corrections secretary, not the board, hiring and firing authority over the correction and community correction division directors.

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Bella Vista 52-year-old charged with possession of live pipe bombs

BELLA VISTA — An Arkansas man was arrested after police said six homemade pipe bombs were found at his home.

Lawrence Hickman, 52, was arrested last week on six counts of criminal possession of explosive materials or a destructive device. He is being held at the Benton County Jail on a $1 million bond, jail records show.

Available court records did not indicate if Lawrence has an attorney to speak on his behalf. He did not have an attorney present at his initial court appearance last week.

Court records indicate the bombs were found when law enforcement officers came to his Bella Vista home to investigate a woman’s harassment complaint.

An investigator wrote in a statement included in court records that the pipe bombs were X-rayed and found to be live.

Court records indicate a neighbor told investigators that Hickman wanted to kayak to the Philippines, where he said his new wife lived, and planned to start the journey by kayaking through the Bering Sea. The neighbor told investigators that Lawrence said the pipe bombs were for defense against sharks and pirates and that he was also bringing liquor for Russians.

Lawrence was apprehended at a pier with two inflatable kayaks in the state of Washington, court records indicated.

The investigator wrote in an affidavit that authorities believe Hickman was trying to flee the country to avoid an upcoming trial in Texas, the station reported. It did not disclose the nature of the Texas trial.

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ASP graduates largest class in 48 years

LITTLE ROCK — A total of 52 certified officer recruits became Arkansas State Troopers during a graduation ceremony recently at Camp Robinson, making it the largest graduating class since 1977.

The new troopers were among an initial field of 230 applicants who were tested and interviewed before entering a 10-week training program, where they completed approximately 760 hours of specialized instruction and practical training.

The graduates were sworn under oath as Arkansas State Troopers by Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Cody Hiland, who served as the keynote speaker.

Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety Col. Mike Hagar, Maj. Roby Rhoads, Cpl. Keondrick Thompson and Sgt. Chad Staley addressed the class during the ceremony. ASP senior command staff, troop and company commanders, the training section cadre, ASP commissioners and ASP Foundation members were among the audience.

Special recognition and awards were presented to the recruits who attained the highest scores within certain training categories. In academics, Lydia Rogers finished first, and Trey Smith and Dylan Evans finished second and third, respectively.

For physical fitness, Justin Shackleford finished first, and Shane Fox and Hunter Grubbs finished second and third, respectively.

In firearms, David Whipple finished first, and Evans and Rogers finished second and third, respectively.

In the Emergency Vehicle Operator Course, Tyler Ryals finished first, and Mark Fallis and Tre’ Davis finished second and third, respectively.

Upon reporting for duty at their respective troop headquarters, the new troopers will be placed with a certified departmental Field Training Officer (FTO). Each graduate will work in tandem with their respective FTO for a transitional period prior to being released to their assignment.