Getting guns and drugs off the streets

Marion Police Department makes pair of arrests By Ralph Hardin

ralphhardin@gmail.com

The Marion Police Department has been hard at work keeping city streets safe. The MPD made a pair of recent arrests that resulted in weapons and drug charges.

It wasn’t a sting operation or a targeted strike, but rather good old-fashioned police work that got the job done.

On Feb. 9, officer Brian Morton was traveling south the on I-55 West Service Road when he observed a gray Dodge Charger traveling north with only one headlight.

Morton initiated a traffic stop.

“The vehicle stopped at I-55 East Service Road in the Marion Market Place parking lot,” said Morton, who radioed dispatch before beginning the traffic stop. “I then made contact with the driver and informed him why he was being stopped.”

After running the licenses of the driver, later identified as Fred Smith III, and his passenger, Allton Phillips, Morton learned that Smith was a convicted felon on active probation with a search waiver on file.

“I then asked Smith and Phillips to step out of the vehicle,” said Morton, asking if the pair had anything illegal in the car.

Smith then produced a medicine bottle full of marijuana, which prompted Morton to search Smith.

“I then searched (Smith) and found a gun, a Taurus 9 mm, in the right side of his waistband,” said Morton.

Smith was then placed under arrest while Officer Robert Thomas searched and detained Phillips.

Phillips was found to be clean and was released, while Smith was placed in custody and taken to the Crittenden County Detention Center.

Then on Feb. 11, Marion Police arrested Britt Robinson, a convicted felon, for possession of a firearm.

Officer Duane Roberts was responding to a shoplifting complaint at the Family Dollar store on Block Street when he was given a description of “a heavyset black male wearing a white baseball cap and dark jacket.”

Officer Roberts then observed Robinson walking across the parking lot at Marion Market Place and initiated contact with him.

“He admitted to having been at the Family Dollar and that an employee had accused him of shoplifting,” said Roberts. “I ran Robinson’s name through dispatch and learned that he had an active warrant for his arrest on a theft of property charge out of Crittenden County.”

Robinson was also shown to have a prior felony conviction and was on probation on active supervision, with a search waiver on file.

Roberts then searched the suspect and found a loaded Kel-Tec .380 handgun. It was then that Officer Roberts places Robinson under arrest. The weapon was seized and logged into evidence. Robinson was transported to the Crittenden County Jail, where he remains in custody.