DARDANELLE -- A sheriff's deputy and two other people are dead, and a suspect is in custody after a more than five-hour standoff Thursday on Gum Springs Road, outside Chickalah in Yell County.
About 2:40 p.m., a suspect surrendered without incident to Arkansas State Police and local law enforcement officers. State police officers said late Thursday that they were not certain of the suspect's name.
Moments before the man's surrender, a woman was allowed to walk out of the house at 10024 Gum Springs Road.
"We're going to call her a hostage for right now," state police spokesman Bill Sadler said Thursday. He would not elaborate.
Sadler said late Thursday that there could be three people, possibly four, in the area who have the same name as the suspect. More definitive information about the suspect's identification will be released today, he said.
[UPDATE: Police on Friday identified the suspect as James Arthur Bowden, 42, of Dardanelle]
The suspect -- who faces three counts of capital murder -- and the unnamed female hostage were transported to a hospital to "get checked out," Sadler said. He would not comment about any injuries the two may have had.
No shots were fired during the standoff, Sadler said.
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Photos by Benjamin Krain
Photos by Benjamin Krain
The incident began at 7:18 a.m. Thursday when Yell County sheriff's deputy Lt. Kevin Mainhart, 46, stopped the suspect's vehicle along Arkansas 27 at the junction of Slo Fork Road west of Dardanelle. Mainhart recognized the vehicle from an earlier advisory associated with a disturbance call at the Gum Springs Road property.
Mainhart -- Badge No. 7 -- was shot and killed at the scene of the traffic stop. A passing motorist notified authorities.
At some point, officers went to the Gum Springs Road house, where they discovered the bodies of two females, one believed to be a child, in the yard. As of late Thursday, Sadler had not released those names.
The bodies remained in the yard as authorities negotiated with the suspect who by then was at the house. A source at the scene, who asked not to be identified, said the suspect threatened to kill the hostage if officers or an ambulance moved any closer to the house.
Sadler said during an afternoon news conference that he could not reveal details about the negotiation tactics that were used and said only, "It was done very successfully."
"This has been a long and sad day," Sadler said. "We lost a dedicated law enforcement officer."
Fallen Yell County deputy being escorted through Little Rock today after being killed in the line of duty. pic.twitter.com/ijIYZiOJvt
— Little Rock Police (@LRpolice) May 11, 2017
Mainhart, an Air Force veteran, had been with the Yell County sheriff's office for five years and retired from the West Memphis Police Department after more than 20 years on the force there.
He leaves behind a wife and two sons -- one a high-school student and the other in the military.
"From the moment he arrived, he was a leader not only in the department but in the community of Yell County, as well," Sheriff Bill Gilkey said.
Mainhart was very respected and an "extraordinary example of what law enforcement should be," Gilkey said, citing Mainhart's work ethic and fair-mindedness.
A deputy, who declined to give his name, said Mainhart was the "kindest man" in the world, and there wasn't anything Mainhart wouldn't do for somebody.
"All that time in West Memphis, and nothing happened. Then he comes home ...," the deputy said.
Ashley Carpenter of Danville, who was at a home near the Gum Springs Road scene, said Mainhart gave her a ride home Wednesday after her car broke down.
"He was a really nice man," Carpenter said. "This kind of stuff doesn't happen around here. It's just the usual small-town stuff. This makes us more aware of what could happen and thankful at the same time."
Her fiance, Kenneth Williams, had stronger words for the man who killed Mainhart.
"There's a special place in hell for people like that," Williams said.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a news release Thursday that he sends his deepest sympathies to Mainhart's family.
"Mainhart's 25-year career in law enforcement in West Memphis and Yell County made Arkansas a safer place," Hutchinson said. "Our thoughts, prayers and gratitude are with the Mainhart family and all those who put their own lives in danger to serve and protect."
Mainhart is the first law enforcement officer in 2017 to be killed in the line of duty, according to Officer Down Memorial, an organization that tracks such deaths.
Three Arkansas officers were killed in the line of duty in 2016:
• Cpl. William Pressley Cooper with the Sebastian County sheriff's office was shot to death Aug. 10.
• McCrory Police Department patrolman Robert Aaron Barker was killed in a car crash Sept. 15.
• Corrections officer Lisa Anne Mauldin of the Miller County sheriff's office was killed in an assault Dec. 19.
"Anytime a member of law enforcement falls in the line of duty, our hearts are broken," Attorney General Leslie Rutledge said in a news release. "Today, the State of Arkansas mourns the loss of Yell County Sheriff's Deputy Lt. Kevin Mainhart. As an officer of the law, Lt. Mainhart began his day with one mission: to protect and serve the people of his community.
"While today will mark his end of watch, he never wavered in his steadfast commitment and responsibility to safeguard his neighbors from harm. As Arkansas's chief law enforcement officer, I extend my thoughts and prayers to Lt. Mainhart's family, friends and brothers and sisters in law enforcement across our State, as well as the others who have been injured, brutally attacked and killed in today's tragic incident in Chickalah."
Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Mainhart's "senseless" death has affected so many in the state, and "today, Arkansans collectively grieve for the loss of Lt. Mainhart in the line of duty and recognize his sacrifice, the sacrifice of his family and the danger faced by law enforcement on a daily basis."
State Desk on 05/12/2017
