Suspect caught in courthouse vandalism

By The Associated Press

VAN BUREN — Police in Van Buren say they have caught a suspect wanted for vandalizing the Crawford County Courthouse - a man who was awaiting the start of a prison sentence handed down at the courthouse last week.

Police were called when Anthony Duane Fisher, 33, was spotted at a hospital on Wednesday, but he got away before officers could arrive. They tracked him down later in the day at a Fort Smith residence.

The courthouse sustained a tremendous amount of damage from the Monday night vandalism. Shattered glass littered the courthouse floor. Desk drawers were pried open, courtroom tables were vandalized, a judge's office was ransacked and blood from the suspect added to the scene. The courthouse was closed Tuesday and Wednesday but reopened to the public on Thursday.

Police named Fisher as a suspect when they saw him on security camera footage. Fisher is being held in Fort Smith.

"He has a misdemeanor warrant out of Fort Smith to take care of, but after that he'll be turned over to us for the vandalism warrant," Van Buren police spokesman Lt. Brent Grill said.

Fisher had appeared before Circuit Judge Gary Cottrell in Van Buren last week and was sentenced to five years in prison for a burglary conviction. Grill said Fisher was free on bond until prison space came open for him.

Police said the suspect cut himself and left blood behind in several places, creating a biohazard that added to the cleanup duties. The sheriff's office said samples of the blood were tested and they came back positive for hepatitis.

"We had a complete wipe down, swipe down, disinfecting of the entire courthouse - all the handrails, all the door knobs, all the bathrooms," County Judge John Hall said.

Hall said an early estimate of the damage was $40,000 but the offices are still being put into order and the costs could rise. Building officials say they filled the bed of a pickup truck with glass that was broken.

Fisher was arrested last month on suspicion of breaking in to a veterinary office. Police said he was near the courthouse Monday night at an apartment where he sometimes stays with his wife. Grill said Fisher's wife told officers she and Fisher had a fight Monday night.