Police arrest man at Governor's Mansion
A North Little Rock man was arrested after he climbed over the southern gate at the Governor's Mansion in Little Rock and got onto the grounds early Thursday, authorities said.
An Arkansas State Police official was told that Gov. Asa Hutchinson's executive protection team took a man into custody around 1:10 a.m., according to a police report.
Officials reportedly arrested 55-year-old Edward A. Harper after he climbed over the south gate entrance to the mansion and entered the grounds at 1800 Center Street.
Harper, who works in lawn care, had "red eyes" and a "strong odor of beer" on him, police said.
A spokesman for Hutchinson said the governor and first lady Susan Hutchinson were home at the time.
"Harper was stopped within seconds after entering the property and never approached the residence," state police spokesman Liz Chapman said in an email.
Harper, who is listed as a parolee, faces charges of criminal trespassing and public intoxication, police said.
He was previously sentenced in October 2008 to 10 years imprisonment after pleading guilty to a felony and misdemeanor charge, online court records show.
A court date is scheduled for June 27.
Police nab suspect in NLR robberies
A man arrested after a North Little Rock convenience store clerk was robbed at gunpoint early Tuesday has been linked to multiple armed holdups in central Arkansas, police said.
The North Little Rock Police Department responded around 2:50 a.m. to the Valero Superstop at 605 E. Broadway, according to a report.
A gas station clerk said that he was behind the counter making a breakfast item when he walked back to the register to see a person brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun.
"Give me all the money," the assailant, later identified by authorities as 20-year-old Joseph Hayes, reportedly said while pointing the weapon at the worker.
The worker removed money from the cash register and placed it on the counter, at which point the robber fled the scene with about $250 in cash, the report states.
While police responded, the worker received a call from a friend who said that she was at a gas pump at the time and could provide more information about the robber, according to authorities.
The woman said the assailant ran east toward the parking lot of Sam's Eatery at 613 E. Broadway and appeared to have driven off in a silver Dodge Durango.
A man -- who also brandished a black semi-automatic weapon, wore a black hoodie and had a bandanna covering part of his face -- had been sought in three other recent robberies in North Little Rock.
Those robberies were reported May 8 at the A-Z Hess at 4614 E. Broadway, May 12 at the Coastal at 1513 E. Washington and May 13 at the AGC Food Mart at 2910 E. Broadway.
That assailant, as with the most recent robbery in North Little Rock, was described as a black man in his early 20s who stands between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall.
Surveillance video from the Valero gas station heist Tuesday showed that the robber had the same mannerisms such as "pulling his mask down to talk to the cashiers," which allowed investigators to get a facial profile, according to the report.
Little Rock police suspect that Hayes is also responsible for three robberies in Little Rock, including one May 12 at the Mapco at 5420 W. 12th St.
Hayes remained at the Pulaski County jail as of Thursday afternoon on several counts of aggravated robbery and theft of property, records show. His bail was set at $400,000.
NLR man shot after buying video games
A 36-year-old North Little Rock man was shot once Monday morning by a man he had just bought two video games from, authorities said.
It happened about 4:40 a.m. at a house in the 1600 block of North Olive Street, according to a North Little Rock Police Department report.
The victim, Donivan Mitchell, told police he paid $20 to a man he'd known for several months for two video games, but the man later asked for the victim's backpack, according to the report.
After Mitchell refused to hand it over, the man produced a gun from behind his back and shot Mitchell once in the abdomen, the report said. Mitchell ran to the street, where he collapsed and police later found him.
Mitchell, who was taken to UAMS Medical Center for treatment of an injury not believed to be life-threatening, told investigators he believes the man was "under the influence of a controlled substance" when he opened fire, according to the police account.
The report listed a suspect by name, but it did not indicate an arrest had been made.
Metro on 05/26/2017