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Arrest made in fatal Sharp County stabbing attacks

Arrest made in fatal  Sharp County stabbing attacks

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ASH FLAT — A man “confessed” to killing two women in Cherokee Village and stabbing another in Highland, Sharp County Sheriff Mark Counts announced Tuesday. Linda Janny, 72, and Hayleigh Gruger, 23, were found dead Monday in their Cherokee Village homes, according to Arkansas State Police.

While processing the scene of Gruger’s death, state agents were sent to a Highland home, where Debra Compton, 41, was found with stab wounds.

Compton was attacked “while she was in a vehicle with two men traveling in the area,” ASP reported.

One of the men, Charles Stovall, 24, was arrested “without incident” Monday during the ongoing probe, said Carrie Trego, an administrative deputy with the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office.

In an interview with Counts and Chief Deputy Aaron Presser, Stovall “confessed to the homicide and to injuring the third victim,” the sheriff’s office disclosed in a press release. The circumstances surrounding the murders and attempted murder, however, were not specified.

In addition to state police, the Cherokee Village and Highland police departments are also investigating the incidents, Trego said Tuesday. The sheriff’s office did not release an incident report or a mugshot of Stovall, citing its ongoing investigation, she said.

“Special agents of the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division are continuing their work today assisting Sharp County sheriff’s deputies in developing leads and collecting evidence,” an ASP press release read. “Information related to any criminal charges that may be filed against the lone suspect will be released by the Sharp County Sheriff’s Department.”

The bodies of Gruger and Janny were sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock for an autopsy to determine the cause of their deaths, officials say.

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JONESBORO — A Craighead County judge has placed himself under quarantine and Gov. Asa Hutchinson has canceled his public schedule for the week after possible contact with people who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

Craighead County District Judge Tommy Fowler took himself off the bench on Thursday for a 14-day quarantine after receiving a text from a physician. The doctor informed him that a patient who had appeared in court on Monday had tested positive. That patient had symptoms, but thought it was a sinus allergy, Fowler said.

So, the judge is working from home, including issuing search and arrest warrants when necessary.

Fowler said he had already been scheduled to be off work next week. So far, he said, he has not tested positive for the disease and has no symptoms.

The governor has limited his public schedule after learning someone who had attended a meeting with him had tested positive.

“We have regularly conducted our meetings with social distancing and mask wearing as needed,” the governor said. “In one meeting I had last Friday in the Governor’s Conference Room, there was an individual in the meeting that later tested positive for COVID-19. Even though I remained over six feet away from the individual tested, as a precaution, I had a COVID-19 test early Monday morning, an antigen test that was negative, followed by a PCR test that was also negative. While the meeting did not rise to the level of CDC quarantine guidance, out of concern for the comfort level of others in meetings, I will be limiting my public appearances.”

However, during an online news conference, he admitted to traveling across the state Monday to campaign for Issue 1, the proposed constitutional amendment to support highway funding. One of those stops was in Jonesboro.

Also Tuesday, state Senate President Jim Hendren said the Legislature was postponing its budget hearings after two House members and one senator tested positive for the virus.

The House members are Michelle Gray of Melbourne and Stu Smith of Batesville, The Associated Press reported.

Hendren said legislative

Continued on Page 11 STATE NEWS (cont.)

leaders will work with the Health Department to determine who must be quarantined and tested because of any potential exposure.

Craighead County had the fourth-most new cases Tuesday with 32, followed by Crittenden at 25 and Greene with 21. Statewide, thee were 628 confirmed new cases, bringing the total of 94,418 confirmed cases since the pandemic reached Arkansas in March. Combined with cases considered “probable,” the total is 100,441. Confirmed COVID deaths grew by 14, including one each in Lawrence, Randolph, Cross and Mississippi counties, bringing the total to 1,576.

Hospitalizations rose by 24 to 637 statewide, of those 101 were on ventilators, an increase of two.

The White House Coronavirus Task Force weekly report said Arkansas had the 12th highest rate of new infections and Craighead County ranked third among 75 counties, behind Pulaski and Washington. Craighead County has the eighth highest population statewide.

Arkansas had 206 new cases per 100,000 population, compared to the national average of 117, said the White House report.

“Arkansas must continue the strong mitigation efforts statewide,” the report said. “Mitigation efforts should continue to include mask wearing, physical distancing, hand hygiene, avoiding crowds in public and social gatherings in private and ensuring flu immunizations.”

The White House report also recommended stronger actions in 16 counties, mostly in the northeastern corner of the state, that are classified in the Red Zone.

“In red and orange counties, both public and private gatherings should be as small as possible and optimally not extend beyond immediate family,” the task force recommended.

Craighead, Greene, Mississippi, Independence, Jackson, Poinsett, Baxter and Izard counties are among Red Zone counties.

Randolph and St. Francis are in the Yellow Zone.

A major factor in the growing numbers in Northeast Arkansas is outbreaks in nursing homes. A separate Arkansas Department of Health report showed 71 new cases among residents and 30 employees Lawrence Hall in Walnut Ridge, and, as of Friday, there were still 112 active cases of the virus among residents and 52 among employees. Six residents and 10 employees have recovered. Two residents have died, according to the weekly report.

On Oct. 12, 18 new cases among residents and 11 employees of Ridgecrest Health and Rehabilitation of Jonesboro were reported. That facility had 42 active cases among residents and 23 among employes.

Three new cases were reported Thursday at St.

Elizabeth’s Place in Jonesboro among residents and two among employees.

Also Thursday, the Waters of Newport had 1 new infection among residents, and Randolph County Nursing Home of Pocahontas had two new infections, bringing the cumulative total to 76.

Seventeen residents died during a previous outbreak. The Springs of Jonesboro had three new cases among residents on Tuesday.

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LITTLE ROCK — All Arkansas cities, town and counties may now apply for reimbursement of

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COVID-19-related expenditures via the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). A total of $150 million has been reserved specifically for cities, towns and counties.

The $150 million has been divided evenly with cities and towns receiving $75 million along with $75 million for counties. The relief funds are a portion of the $1.25 billion the state received via the CARES Act earlier this year.

“As Arkansas communities and counties approach the end of 2020 and begin planning for 2021, we want to ensure local leaders are aware of the CARES funding available to them,” said Larry Walther, Department Secretary for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration (DFA), the department administering the local relief funds.

“From the smallest communities to the state’s largest cities, COVID-19 had a significant impact on local budgets.”

Expenditures that are eligible for reimbursement include those that are incurred due to the COVID-19 public health emergency that are not already accounted for in any recently approved state government budgets. The expenditures must have been incurred from March 1, 2020 and no later than December 15, 2020.

Cities, town and counties may be reimbursed for the following COVID-19-related expenditures:

• Payroll for Public Health and Safety Employees

• Budgeted Personnel and Services Diverted to a Substantially Different Use

• Public Health Expenses and Personal Protective Equipment

• Improving Telework Capabilities of Public Employees The allocation for towns and cities may be found at www.arml.org while allocation by county is available at www.arcounties.org. Cities, towns and counties must submit application for the funding by November 16, 2020 and expenditures for reimbursement no later than December 15, 2020.

“Resources are in place to effectively walk local leaders through this process,” said Paul Louthian, State Comptroller and DFA Deputy Director. “I encourage communities and counties to utilize these resources as soon as possible to identify the expenses for which they may be reimbursed.”

The applicant call center may be reached at 1-800-268-7907 or via email at arcrf support@cteh.com.

Cities, towns and counties may submit applications for reimbursement at www.arct cportal.com.

DFA’s website contains an informational page with details on the program. It can be found at https://www.dfa.arkansas.g ov/administrative -services/ covid-19-caresact/ municipalities-andcounties.

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