Andy Davis
Stories by Andy
Bail hearing set for jailed officers
posted: 05/26/2012 3:20 a.m. Discuss
Two Little Rock police officers accused of escorting shipments of marijuana through the city remained on paid leave and in jail Friday as a judge set a hearing for June 4 to determine whether he will set bail that would allow their release pending a trial.
Weekend travelers set to see lower gas
posted: 05/26/2012 3:17 a.m. Discuss
Arkansans who flock to parks and other destinations over the Memorial Day weekend can expect to find lower gas prices than last year and sunny weather, with one potential interstate traffic bottleneck to avoid.
Sherwood man loses 2nd plea for parole
posted: 05/23/2012 4:42 a.m. Discuss
The Sherwood man who fatally shot a teenaged intruder in his yard in 2007 has been denied parole for a second time, the Parole Board announced Tuesday.
Chief named for FBI division
posted: 05/22/2012 2:28 a.m. Discuss
The man who supervised the FBI’s spy-catching operations for almost two years, including the investigation of an Army intelligence analyst accused of passing classified information to WikiLeaks, has been named chief of the FBI’s Arkansas operations, the FBI said Monday.
Budget focus of 2 JP candidates
posted: 05/19/2012 5:03 a.m. Discuss
Facing his first opponent since he was elected to the Pulaski County Quorum Court in 2004, Bob Johnson says he wants to build on his accomplishments from his first four terms as a justice of the peace.
Jerry Tuggle: After 2 crashes, pilot felt lucky
posted: 05/19/2012 4:49 a.m. Discuss
Two airplane crashes left Jerry Tuggle with a broken back and constant pain — but also the feeling he had been given a second chance at life, his longtime girlfriend Maryl McAffry said.
Big Dam in top 10 bridges on travel list
posted: 05/18/2012 3:03 a.m. Discuss
Pulaski County’s Big Dam Bridge was named Thursday along with the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge linking New York City and New Jersey as one of the “top 10 bridge travel sites” in the U.S. and Canada by the Society of American Travel Writers.
Reject parole, says father of slain teen
posted: 05/10/2012 5:17 a.m. Comment 1
A Sherwood man who fatally shot a teenage intruder in his yard in 2007 should stay in prison until he completes his sentence on a manslaughter charge, the teen’s father told the state Parole Board on Wednesday.
Judge yokes parolee site to PB zoning
posted: 05/08/2012 4:17 a.m. Discuss
A judge issued an order Monday blocking the state from housing parolees at a complex in western Pine Bluff, saying the state must first apply for zoning approval from the city.
4 Osborne houses to sell
posted: 05/03/2012 4:55 a.m. Comment 1
Four houses owned by the widow of the philanthropist and entrepreneur Jennings Osborne will be sold at public auctions next month to help pay off the family’s debts, his daughter said Wednesday.
Unmanned copter plans up in air
posted: 04/30/2012 4:03 a.m. Discuss
For the team of North Little Rock police officers who gathered at a park east of the city on Wednesday morning, it would have been another day of practice with the unmanned, radio-controlled helicopter that the Police Department hopes to one day use to fight crime.
Trooper suspended for inaction that freed man
posted: 04/25/2012 5:12 a.m. Discuss
The Arkansas State Police trooper whose failure to turn in paperwork resulted in the release of a man who was later charged in the stabbing deaths of two people will be suspended for two days without pay, a state police spokesman said Tuesday.
Prisons see more returning
posted: 04/23/2012 4:14 a.m. Discuss
Almost 45 percent of Arkansas prison inmates released in 2008 had returned to prison by the end of last year, giving the state prison system its highest three-year recidivism rate since 2003, a report by the Department of Correction found.
Bought cocaine in Helena, man admits in court
posted: 04/18/2012 4:58 a.m. Discuss
A man indicted as a result of a drug and corruption investigation in eastern Arkansas along with 70 other people, including five law enforcement officers, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of participating in a conspiracy to possess and distribute powder and crack cocaine and marijuana.
El Chico workers held in killing
posted: 04/17/2012 4:24 a.m. Comments 5
Four restaurant employees face capital murder charges after they were arrested Monday in connection with a robbery the night before of a west Little Rock El Chico in which another employee was shot and killed.
LR group paves VA clinic’s way
posted: 04/16/2012 4 a.m. Comments 2
Last month, the Brain Injury Association of Arkansas played a key role in the dispute over a planned day treatment clinic for veterans.
Prison proposes a shift
posted: 04/15/2012 3:50 a.m. Comment 1
Three months after the state closed a prison in Pine Bluff, the state Department of Correction has proposed closing all or part of another prison and shifting the money toward housing for parolees.
Stabbed inmate awarded $30,000 over guard’s error
posted: 04/13/2012 3:34 a.m. Discuss
The state Claims Commission on Thursday awarded $30,000 to a state prison inmate who was stabbed by another inmate last year, finding that a guard failed to follow the proper procedures when he let the attacker into the barracks where the stabbing happened.
Petrino on leave, admits to crash lie
posted: 04/06/2012 4:23 a.m.
Comments 45
University of Arkansas football Coach Bobby Petrino was placed on paid administrative leave Thursday night after the Arkansas State Police released an accident report contradicting his earlier public statements that he was alone when he crashed his motorcycle Sunday evening.
Thief, 57, paroled a 2nd time; victim scared by decision
posted: 04/04/2012 4:48 a.m. Discuss
Less than two years after his latest return to prison, a thief and habitual offender who was granted clemency by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2000 has once again been approved for parole.
Surgeon general arrested at home in confrontation
posted: 04/03/2012 4:22 a.m. Comments 2
Arkansas Surgeon General Joe Thompson was arrested on misdemeanor charges outside his home in Little Rock on Saturday night after an argument with police officers, one of whom said in a report that the state’s top medical official “had a strong odor of alcohol and was swaying as he stood,” police said Monday.
Police beat
posted: 04/02/2012 4:12 a.m. Discuss
2 shot Sunday near armory Two people were shot early Sunday during a gathering at Ricks National Guard Armory in Little Rock, police said.
Web restriction on sex offenders gains a reprieve
posted: 03/30/2012 3:20 a.m. Discuss
Some freed sex offenders will be able to send e-mails and browse the Web for a while longer while the state Board of Parole researches whether it can adopt a policy that bars convicted sex offenders from using the Internet without infringing on their First Amendment rights.
Len Blaylock: Ran for governor against Bumpers
posted: 03/28/2012 3:57 a.m. Discuss
Whether it was at the helm of Arkansas’ welfare department or as head of the state Republican Party, Len Blaylock had a knack for trimming waste and saving money, his daughter, Betty Freeze remembers.
Ex-lawman going to prison for plot
posted: 03/27/2012 4:34 a.m. Discuss
A former Little Rock police officer convicted of scheming to rob an armored car company was sentenced Monday to 3 1/2 years in prison, a year-and-a-half less than the minimum recommended by federal guidelines.
Officer shot in leg in standoff near UA
posted: 03/26/2012 4:27 a.m. Discuss
A Fayetteville police officer was shot in the leg during an exchange of gunfire with a man at an apartment complex near the University of Arkansas campus Saturday night, police said.
Not heeding council’s vote, state tells PB
posted: 03/21/2012 4:45 a.m. Discuss
Despite a resolution passed unanimously by the Pine Bluff City Council on Monday night, the chairman of the state Board of Correction said Tuesday that parole officials have no plans to apply for zoning approval for a planned halfway house complex on the west side of the city.
Ex-choir leader freed in sex case to exit Arkansas
posted: 03/21/2012 4:41 a.m. Discuss
A former music minister who admitted to sexual misconduct with members of a youth choir was released from prison Tuesday and will live in Kentucky, his attorney said.
Man denied second chance at parole
posted: 03/21/2012 4:36 a.m. Discuss
A rapist who was released from prison in 2007, then returned after he accosted a woman in the parking lot of McCain Mall in North Little Rock, has been denied a second chance at parole, a state board announced Tuesday.
PB aldermen aim zoning rules at state for halfway houses
posted: 03/17/2012 5:23 a.m. Discuss
The Pine Bluff City Council will consider a resolution on Monday calling on the state to seek city approval for its plan to house about 30 parolees, including violent and sexual offenders, in a state run halfway-house complex on the same campus as two minimum-security lockups for female offenders.
No-Net paroles pitched for some
posted: 03/16/2012 3:16 a.m. Discuss
The Internet would be off-limits to sex offenders who are released on parole, at least for an initial period, under a policy being considered by the board responsible for setting the terms of their supervision.
Mount St. Mary fires two; police investigate
posted: 03/15/2012 4:42 a.m. Discuss
Two Mount St. Mary Academy employees, identified by police as the athletic director and a female teacher, were no longer working for the school Wednesday as police investigated a complaint that the teacher had an inappropriate relationship with a student, police and school officials said.
Affidavit: Stabbing of guard admitted
posted: 03/15/2012 4:39 a.m. Discuss
The state prison inmate accused of fatally stabbing a guard in January admits that he stabbed her but maintains that he didn’t mean to kill her, according to an affidavit by an Arkansas State Police investigator.
SO MANY TITLES, PLENTY OF TIME: Store’s closing sends its books behind bars
posted: 03/14/2012 4:20 a.m. Discuss
The mysteries, thrillers and romance novels never sold quickly enough for Judy Schoonover to make a profit at the used-book store in Hot Springs Village that she opened two years ago.
Inmate shooting found justified
posted: 03/11/2012 5:30 a.m. Discuss
The inmate who was shot by a prison guard on horseback in December told police he approached the guard and ignored his commands because he was trying to commit “suicide by cop,” according to a report by an Arkansas State Police investigator.
Inmate to face murder charges
posted: 03/09/2012 5:28 a.m. Discuss
A prosecutor said Thursday that he plans to file capital-murder charges next week against Latavious Johnson, the inmate accused of fatally stabbing a guard at the East Arkansas Regional Unit near Brickeys in January.
Deny thief and rapist paroles, 2 tell board
posted: 03/08/2012 4:58 a.m. Discuss
A thief and habitual offender who gained his freedom with the help of a commutation from then-Gov. Mike Huckabee, then went back to prison after being arrested on felony charges at least three more times, doesn’t deserve yet another chance, a Little Rock woman told the state Board of Parole on Wednesday.
Owner: Trixie a ‘dog of valor’
posted: 03/07/2012 4:33 a.m. Discuss
A fluffy, 32-pound Wheaten terrier mix, Trixie had been eager to offer her help ever since Ida Moose took her to her Little Rock home from the animal shelter 16 years ago.
Mailed tax forms get state look
posted: 03/05/2012 5:55 a.m. Comments 6
First the IRS stopped automatically mailing paper forms and booklets to taxpayers each year. Now Arkansas is thinking about doing the same thing.
State plans halfway house complex
posted: 02/27/2012 4:44 a.m. Comments 2
People serving time in state prisons for violent or sex-related offenses will soon have a new option for where they can live after their release — a state-owned building on the same campus as two minimum-security lockups for female offenders.
Utility-bill aid draws hundreds
posted: 02/22/2012 5:49 a.m. Comment 1
At the State Fairgrounds on Tuesday, hundreds of people streamed into the Farm Bureau Arts and Crafts Building, hoping to find out whether they would qualify for help paying their gas or electric bills.
Prison ministry reaches out, gains a new life
posted: 02/17/2012 6:21 a.m. Discuss
After a national prison ministry founded by former White House aide Chuck Colson announced it would discontinue its rehabilitation program for Arkansas inmates last year, the program’s supporters began raising money to keep it going under a different name.
Judge rejects venue switch in Alamo suit
posted: 02/15/2012 6:08 a.m. Discuss
A judge has denied a request for a change of venue in a lawsuit that accuses members of the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries of failing to protect young girls from sexual abuse.
Police beat
posted: 02/14/2012 4:07 a.m. Discuss
Gunman fires from SUV, LR police say A man was shot multiple times by a gunman who fired from a sport utility vehicle outside a Little Rock apartment building Sunday evening, police said.
Law’s fans tout drop in inmates
posted: 02/10/2012 4:37 a.m. Discuss
Even though some of its provisions have yet to be felt, prison and law enforcement officials say the sentencing overhaul law passed by the state Legislature last year is already having its intended effect, helping shrink the state’s prison population and free up space in county jails.
Legislator pleads no contest in police chase, gets fined
posted: 02/08/2012 6:09 a.m. Discuss
Five months after vowing to prove he didn’t knowingly flee from a Perry County sheriff’s deputy, state Sen. Bruce Holland did a U-turn, pleading no contest Tuesday to charges of fleeing, careless driving and improper passing in connection with the pursuit along Arkansas 10 that the deputy said reached 110 mph.
Former mayor, drugstore owner, legislator Wimberly dies at 92
posted: 02/07/2012 4:43 a.m. Discuss
George Wimberly, a former Little Rock mayor, state legislator and drugstore owner whose political career ended after criticism that followed the arrest of the city’s police chief in the theft of money from the drugstore cash register, died Sunday.
Ex-minister freed in sex-abuse case, must leave state
posted: 02/01/2012 6:33 a.m. Comments 6
A former music minister who admitted to sexual misconduct with members of a youth choir in Benton has been granted parole but will have to live outside Arkansas, the state Parole Board announced Tuesday.
Not racing, says driver in LR crash that killed 2
posted: 01/26/2012 5:53 a.m. Discuss
A driver involved in a fivecar accident on South University Avenue near Interstate 30 in Little Rock that killed two people Tuesday denied that he was racing another driver and said he was “just minding his business” when the accident happened, a police spokesman said Wednesday.
Priest gets probation in smuggling
posted: 01/25/2012 5:29 a.m. Discuss
A Morrilton priest accused of attempting to smuggle tobacco into a state prison in Lincoln County pleaded no contest last week to a felony charge and was sentenced to two years of probation, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
