J.B. Hunt's son offers innocent plea in court

Charged with assault in accident case

BENTONVILLE -- Johnnie Bryan Hunt Jr. pleaded innocent Monday to assaulting a motorist.

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Hunt is charged with aggravated assault, a Class D felony punishable with up to six years in prison. He entered the plea during an arraignment before Circuit Judge Robin Green.

Hunt is the son of the late J.B. Hunt Sr., who founded J.B. Hunt Transport Services in Lowell. He is a member of the company's board, according to its proxy statement.

Special prosecutor Jason Barrett was appointed to handle the case after Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecuting attorney, recused. There is a possibility Smith could be called as a witness.

Smith previously said Hunt, 57, of Springdale sent him text messages about the situation prior to being arrested, according to police documents.

Rogers police received a call at 7:33 a.m. June 3 about a vehicle collision. One of the vehicles had left the scene, according to court documents. A dispatcher later informed officers that the two vehicles -- a Cadillac Escalade and black pickup -- were stopped at an intersection, according to court documents.

Omar Salinas-Hurtado, 21, of Rogers told police he was driving the black pickup. He turned left onto North Eighth Street and into the path of the Escalade. Salinas-Hurtado said he felt an impact, but he did not stop, and the Escalade began to follow him. Salinas-Hurtado said he was making a right turn on Walnut Street when he saw the Escalade turn left. It collided with the driver's side of his vehicle, according to court documents.

Hunt stated in a police report a pickup hit his Escalade and then left the scene. He followed it to Walnut Street and, when he tried to get the license plate number, the driver of the pickup drove the vehicle toward the Escalade again.

Darrin Swenson, who was in Hunt's vehicle, told police he and Hunt followed the pickup to try to get the license plate number after the pickup hit the Escalade, according to police reports. Swenson said they lost the pickup, but saw it again on Walnut Street and the pickup came at them a second time, according to police reports.

The Escalade blocked the driver's side door of the pickup. Hunt and Swenson went to the passenger door to prevent Salinas-Hurtado from leaving the scene, according to the reports. A witness reported seeing the two men holding Salinas-Hurtado on the ground and yelling at him, according to police reports.

Police arrived and Hunt was arrested in connection with aggravated assault. Salinas-Hurtado was arrested in connection with leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor.

Smith later was interviewed by Rogers police. Smith said he was on his way to work when he received a text from Hunt. The text was about being at the scene of an accident with a suspect, but police would not arrest the suspect.

Hunt sent Smith two text messages. In the last message Hunt told Smith he was being arrested.

Barrett declined to comment on the case.

A pretrial hearing is set for 8 a.m. Dec. 7.

Metro on 10/06/2015

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