Man arrested; search continues for missing Realtor

Authorities on Monday arrested a man wanted in the Thursday disappearance of a real estate agent who was reported missing after leaving to show a house.

Arron Michael Lewis, 33, of Jacksonville was taken into custody by Little Rock police shortly after 10 a.m. on suspicion of kidnapping Beverly Carter, a Realtor for Crye-Leike. Carter, 49, had planned to show a house in Scott on Thursday night but never returned from the appointment.

Little Rock Police Department spokesman Lt. Sidney Allen said said officers responded to a call around 9:43 a.m. about a man matching Lewis' description being spotted at a bus stop near the Subway restaurant at 11715 Rainwood Road.

Allen said two witnesses approached Lewis, and Lewis then fled on foot toward Pleasant Pointe Apartments at 1602 Green Mountain Drive. The witnesses called police and followed Lewis to the complex.

Lewis was in the manager's office when officers arrived, Allen said. As the officers approached him, Lewis jumped out of a window to evade them but was quickly apprehended.

At about 11 a.m., Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay said Lewis was being interviewed at the Pulaski County sheriff’s office about his purported connection to the disappearance of Beverly Carter.

“We’ll have him as long as we need to determine what we can from him to lead us to locating Mrs. Carter, which is our primary goal,” he said. Lewis was still being questioned as of 4 p.m.

Holladay said the sheriff’s office has brought in officials from Lonoke County, the Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas National Guard and other local agencies to assist with the search for Carter.

“At this point, we don’t know where she is,” he said.

An arrest warrant was issued Sunday for Lewis. Before the warrant was issued, Minden said, Lewis was hospitalized Sunday morning after a vehicle accident but fled from a hospital while undergoing tests.

Minden said authorities are not releasing details on how investigators identified Lewis as a suspect. The warrant for Lewis' arrest was sealed as of Monday morning.

Minden also said Lewis is on parole for previous convictions in Northwest Arkansas.

Search continues for Beverly Carter

Meanwhile, in eastern Pulaski County, search efforts for Carter continued into the fourth day.

Search and rescue teams from Pulaski, Lonoke, Garland and Van Buren counties assisted with Monday’s search.

Miki Bass, chief executive officer of the Arkansas Realtors Association, said she was assisting with search efforts because “everyone wants to bring Beverly back home.”

“I did not know her, but I knew of her,” she said. “One of our Realtors is missing and I wanted to be here to help find Beverly and help bring her back home. Everybody loves Beverly.”

Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley said his deputies are assisting the Pulaski County sheriff’s office with its investigation. 

“We want to do everything possible to get this young woman home,” Staley said. "We’ve been out assisting Sheriff Holladay out here working. We’ll do anything they need us to do.”

Robert Penton, 93, said he’s been looking for an opportunity to volunteer, and when he saw that Carter was missing, he thought he’d lend a hand. 

“I’ve been retired for 28 years, and when I saw this, I thought, ‘That’s where you need to be,’” he said. “I walk three miles every morning, so walking’s no problem for me.”

Read Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.