The 21-year-old Jacksonville man accused of shooting a man Monday while taking his 3-year-old daughter from her mother is on probation for a 2016 attack on an ex-girlfriend, court records show.
Jalon Kelante Ware was arrested about nine hours after the shooting and abduction at the Lincoln Park apartments in Cabot, the home of his girlfriend, by U.S. marshals. Ware's daughter was unharmed, authorities said.
On Monday afternoon, authorities broadcast a statewide Morgan Nick Amber Alert, reporting that Ware had broken into his former girlfriend's Jacksonville home, shot a man and taken the little girl, Jal'ah Ware, shortly before dawn.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette could not determine from available information if the girl's mother is the same woman whom Ware attacked two years ago. Jacksonville police did not immediately release a report on Monday's incident in response to the newspaper's state Freedom of Information Act request.
Ware is in the Pulaski County jail being held without bail. Before his arrest, he was already awaiting trial on 12 felony charges, among them failure to appear, three counts involving illegal firearm possession and six counts of marijuana possession or trafficking.
Jacksonville police charged him Monday with five felonies: first-degree battery, aggravated residential burglary, interference with child custody, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and felon in possession of a firearm.
North Little Rock authorities have also charged Ware with four other felonies: first-degree battery, cocaine possession, fleeing and failure to stop after an injury-accident over a June 28 incident at the Deli Mart at 5017 Lynch Drive.
According to police reports, an officer who had parked next to Ware's 2018 white Dodge Charger reported smelling marijuana smoke emanating from the vehicle.
Ware, who had a child and a passenger in the car, started to drive away, despite the officer pulling his service weapon and demanding that Ware surrender. Police briefly pursued the vehicle, but chose to give up because of the child in the car. Police reports do not describe the relationship of the child to Ware.
The child was put out of the vehicle on Pollock Street, and police resumed the chase. The Ware car later hit another car in front of 5916 Baucum Pike, seriously injuring the other driver.
Ware and his passenger ran from the police and escaped. Police said a backpack in his vehicle contained cocaine and packaged marijuana, while his identification card was found on the car's floorboard.
Ware's failure to appear charge came after he missed his July 30 trial on charges of theft by receiving and felon with a firearm.
The theft charges stem from his March 19, 2017, arrest by Little Rock police who had tried to pull his car over. That arrest included officers pursuing him into North Little Rock, where he was found with what police said was a stolen pistol.
He was released on bond the following day but arrested again on Nov. 9 by Jacksonville police on marijuana trafficking and gun charges.
Jacksonville officers encountered Ware when they were called to the Park Place Apartments at 700 Poplar St., to investigate a trespassing complaint. In the apartment where Ware was living, although he was not a tenant, police seized marijuana, a pistol, a shotgun and a shoe box containing $6,320. He posted $36,500 bail the next day.
Ware was arrested again on March 3 after fleeing from North Little Rock police officers who had tried to stop him for a broken right taillight on the blue Chevrolet Camaro he was driving. The arrest report states that the driver "stuck his arm out of the window and waved as if telling me to follow him."
The pursuit began in the 5000 block of East Broadway and continued onto Arkansas 161, then onto Interstate 40 then Interstate 30 and onto 15th Street, the report states.
Officers continued to pursue the car on March and Sycamore streets until the vehicle stopped at 516 W. 16th St. Police took Ware into custody at gunpoint. Police found marijuana, scales and packaging in the car, along with $1,791, the report said. He left jail three days later on a $10,000 bond.
Ware has been on probation since Sept. 26, 2016, when he pleaded guilty to felony charges of residential burglary and criminal mischief and misdemeanor counts of domestic battery and interference with emergency communications. He was sentenced to five years on probation.
The charges stem from his July 29, 2016, arrest by Jacksonville police after he had kicked in the door of ex-girlfriend Breiona Nelson, 22. She had locked him out of her home at the apartments at 5 Pinewood Court after an argument.
Nelson, who police reported had noticeable swelling to her face, told officers that Ware also punched a hole in the wall, broke her mirrors, threw cereal on the floor and hit her several times in the face. She said he'd also thrown her phone away when she tried to call 911.
Metro on 08/29/2018