Fugitive wanted in Arkansas murder case caught in California

A Scott County man who has been on the run since December from a Logan County murder charge has been arrested in California while crossing into the United States from Mexico, Logan County Sheriff Boyd Hicks said Tuesday.

Hicks said that he was on his way to San Diego to pick up Robert Allen Melton, 53, of Waldron and return him to Logan County for trial. He said Melton waived extradition. Online records say Melton was being held Tuesday in the San Diego County jail without bail.

Hicks said he estimated he would return to Logan County with Melton on Friday.

A posting on the Logan County sheriff's office's Facebook page Sunday said Melton was arrested July 11 on a felony warrant from Logan County.

Hicks said Melton was crossing the border from Mexico into the United States with a group of people. When authorities approached, the others ran and left Melton behind.

He said Melton had spent a lot of time in the Los Angeles area previously.

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A warrant for failure to appear was issued Dec. 2 after Melton didn't show up in Logan County Circuit Court in Booneville for a pretrial hearing, court records showed.

At the time of his disappearance, Melton was scheduled to go on trial Dec. 14 on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Melton had been free on a $100,000 bond since March 2016. Hicks said Melton had medical problems and underwent heart surgery after his release.

Melton continued to report each week as his bond required and showed up for his court proceedings until Dec. 2. Hicks said he believed Melton was close to working out a plea agreement with the prosecutor's office when he fled.

Melton was charged along with four others in the April 2, 2015, shooting death of Ritchie Lynch, 60, whose decomposing body was found three days later outside his home at 1575 Glover Daniels Road north of Booneville.

An Arkansas State Police arrest warrant affidavit said Melton, Teresa Bennett of Booneville, Dave Ann Townsend of Pine Bluff, and Nick Stoicu and Joseph Brown, both of Mena, drove in a van to Lynch's home to steal drugs and money from him.

Parking nearby, the women waited in the van while Stoicu, Brown and Melton walked in the woods to the boundary of Lynch's property, the affidavit said. Melton waited there while Stoicu and Brown, armed with a rifle and a pistol, walked on to the house, the affidavit said.

Minutes later, according to the affidavit, Melton and the women heard gunfire from the direction of Lynch's house and Stoicu and Brown returned with a duffel bag. An autopsy report said Lynch had been shot five times.

According to the affidavit, the group went to Melton's home in Waldron where money was distributed and the guns were disassembled. Melton told investigators he was offered $800 and some methamphetamine but refused them, the affidavit said.

Initially, only Stoicu and Brown were charged in the killing. Melton, Bennett and Townsend were to be witnesses for the state. But when the case came up for trial in February 2016, the three decided to retain lawyers and the prosecuting attorney's office charged them.

Stoicu, 42, and Brown, 34, were charged with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and being felons in possession of firearms. Brown pleaded no contest June 3, 2016, to second-degree murder. Stoicu pleaded guilty June 27, 2016, to second-degree murder. Both were sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Bennett, 35, was charged with aggravated robbery. On June 3, 2016, she pleaded guilty to robbery and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Townsend, 39, was charged with aggravated robbery and hindering apprehension or prosecution. She pleaded guilty Jan. 20 to felony hindering apprehension or prosecution and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

State Desk on 07/26/2017

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