Rochester man sentenced on voyeur, escape charges

FULTON COUNTY— Prosecutor Mike Marrs said a Rochester man recently sentenced for window peeping and running from lawful detention deserves everything he got and probably more.

Timothy E. Bradley, 55, was given consecutive sentences Jan. 23 by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Greg Heller. He pleaded guilty to three counts of voyeurism and one count of escape in a negotiated plea deal. In the case involving escape, a Level 5 felony, he was sentenced to 6 years in prison, with 4 years suspended. He was additionally given jail credit totaling 135 days and ordered to serve 545 days on probation.

He picked up that escape charge after absconding from a court hearing in mid-April 2022. That hearing concerned a review of probation due to Bradley facing additional misdemeanor counts of voyeurism in three separate cases.

During that hearing, Fulton County Circuit Judge Chris Lee decided to revoke Bradley’s probation and ordered him to serve the remaining three years of his sentence in prison. Lee then instructed Bradley to take a seat in the back of the courtroom, telling him that courthouse security would be up to take him into custody.

At a certain point, Bradley decided to run from the courthouse and enter a pickup truck with his girlfriend behind the wheel. Rochester Police Detective Lt. Matt Campbell gave chase and was struck by the truck as it sped off. He was not seriously injured.

The pickup truck was later found at Four Seasons Mobile Home Estates, 705 E. Fourth St., where Bradley was known to frequent. There, Bradley’s girlfriend, identified as Rhonda Herrell, was taken into custody and subsequently booked at the Fulton County Jail. Bradley was not with Herrell, but reportedly called her cellphone during her arrest.

In September 2023, Herrell pleaded guilty to criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony, and was sentenced to a year in prison. Of that, 363 days were suspended to be served on probation. She also received two days jail credit, and a charge of assisting a criminal was dismissed.

Bradley remained at-large for more than three months and was eventually retrieved by sheriff’s deputies from Arkansas’ Jackson County Jail.

For his voyeurism convictions, Bradley was sentenced in each to 180 days, all of which was suspended to be served on probation.

One voyeurism charge stemmed from an incident at where security cameras caught him peeping into windows. Resident Amy Mast reported around 6 a.m. June 17, 2021, that exterior security cameras recorded a man looking through her and her then-15-year-old daughter’s bedroom windows.

A probable cause affidavit filed in another case states that on Aug. 12, 2020, Ryan Chudzynski reported having video evidence of someone prowling outside his residence at 905 Jackson Boulevard during the early morning hours.

Chudzynski told police he was concerned as the video appeared to be of a male suspect peeping through the bedroom window of his girlfriend’s then-14-year-old daughter. In that video, Bradley allegedly grabbed a patio chair to get a better view, returning it a short while later.

Bradley also faced a charge of voyeurism from a September 2021 incident. Kelly Skiles told police she woke up to a Ring camera notification.

When she reviewed video, she reportedly observed a male suspect looking into her windows.

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EUDORA — The police chief in Eudora has been arrested and charged with kidnapping.

The felony kidnapping charge stems from Police Chief Michael Pitts’ actions in October 2023, Arkansas State Police said in a statement.

“Chief Pitts denies the allegations and we intend to defend the case vigorously,” his attorney, Russell Wood, told The Associated Press on Thursday. Pitts was fired from his job earlier this week, Wood said, adding intends to plead not guilty to the charges., Pitts, 45, was dispatched to a gas station in Eudora after reports that a man was causing a disturbance, state police said.

Investigators determined Pitts illegally detained John Hill Jr., police said. Pitts took Hill to a remote location in Chicot County and assaulted him and left him stranded, according to the state police statement.

On the way to the remote location, the chief told Hill that he was going to “beat his ass,” Hill told investigators.

“Upon reaching County Road 86, Mr. Hill alleges that Chief Pitts forcibly removed him from the patrol unit and subjected him to a brutal assault, resulting in significant injuries to his face and head,” an Arkansas State Police special agent wrote in a court affidavit.

Pitts surrendered to the Chicot County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday. His bond was set at $5,000.

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ADE launches literacy tutoring grant program

LITTLE ROCK — Parents now have additional access to tutoring services for their children thanks to the Arkansas Department of Education’s Literacy Tutoring Grant Program. Because of the LEARNS Act, qualifying families can access up to $500 in literacy tutoring services from state-approved providers.

See STATE, page A13 STATE

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More than 20,000 Arkansas students in grades K-3 are eligible for the program. Students are eligible if they are at risk of reading difficulties, did not score well on state assessments, or were retained in third grade. Districts will notify parents of eligibility by February 26, 2024.

'Before the third grade, kids are learning to read,” Gov.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. “After that, they’re reading to learn. If Arkansas students aren’t meeting that critical benchmark, we are setting them up for failure. I’m proud Arkansas LEARNS is giving us another tool to raise early literacy in our state, and I know Arkansans will see the benefits of this program for years to come.”

“The educational status quo just hasn’t worked, and a comprehensive change was necessary,” ADE Secretary Jacob Oliva said. “Because of LEARNS, parents are empowered to choose schools that are best for their children, and they now have an opportunity to pick tutoring providers to assist their children who are struggling academically. We are confident we are moving in the right direction, and with this program, we are giving students the opportunity to excel.”

To ensure students receive high-quality tutoring services, ADE reviewed applications from tutoring providers. An approved list of providers is available at https://dese.link/literacy-tutoring- vendors. Parents of eligible children will select a vendor from the list, with ADE issuing payment directly to the provider.

The Literacy Tutoring Grant Program is one of several literacy strategies ADE is implementing to improve student learning. Efforts include the following:

• placement of literacy coaches in 'D' and 'F' schools that have grades K-3;

• ensuring teachers are using high-quality instructional materials aligned to the Science of Reading;

• developing a universal highquality literacy screener for students in grades K-3;

• empowering families with individualized reading plans and data about their child’s literacy journey; and

• ensuring educator preparation programs prepare educators to teach reading aligned with the Science of Reading standards.