North Little Rock police on Saturday arrested a Washington state probation absconder connected to the slaying of four police officers in 2009.
Authorities had been seeking Eddie Lee Davis, 26, since May 28, according to the Washington State Department of Corrections. Davis had been on community supervision, the equivalent of probation or parole in Arkansas, following a drug possession and assault conviction and had failed to report to his supervising officer.
Davis had been convicted of rendering criminal assistance and gun possession after driving Maurice Clemmons, 37, from Tacoma, Wash., to Pacific, Wash., after Clemmons shot and killed four police officers in Lakewood, Wash., on Nov. 29, 2009. Davis was one of six people convicted of aiding Clemmons in the police killings.
The Washington State Supreme Court overturned Davis' gun possession conviction in February and reduced his 10-year sentence by 21 months. He was released from prison less than a week after the court decision was released.
Washington officials said his current community supervision is not related to that case.
North Little Rock police stopped Davis about 11 a.m. Saturday at 701 W. 18th St. for driving a vehicle with expired temporary tags, according to an arrest report. Davis gave police a false name, the report states, but officers were able to determine his identity through a nationwide criminal database.
Police said they found a bottle of Adderall pills in Davis' vehicle, and the prescription was not in his name. He was charged with felony possession of a controlled substance and obstructing governmental operations, a misdemeanor.
Police spokesman Sgt. Brian Dedrick said Davis will likely face those charges before being extradited to Washington. Dedrick said the arrest warrant for Davis denotes nationwide extradition, an "almost unheard of" clause that means Washington authorities will travel anywhere in the country to take custody of him.
Davis was released from prison in February, but remained on probation from a September 2009 conviction in the drug possession and assault case, according to the Washington State Department of Corrections. Agency spokesman Angie Pettit said Davis did not have permission to leave the state. She said she could not elaborate on other conditions of his probation.
It's unclear how long Davis has been in Arkansas.
The arrest report lists an address for Davis at 2104 Vance St. in Little Rock. A Little Rock resident was listed on the report as his nearest relative.
Davis has maintained a Facebook page, using his real name and several photographs of himself, on which he lists Little Rock as his city of residence. On June 11, he posted pictures on the page of a bus ticket from Tacoma to Little Rock and wrote, "LITTLE ROCK, I'M ON MY WAY..."
In November, he wrote that he had a new cellphone number, and posted the number -- with a Washington area code -- on the page.
Washington State Department of Corrections spokesman Jeremy Barclay said he couldn't comment on Davis' probation standing but said, in general, absconders may face additional prison time.
"We're always interested in having them back in our care and custody as quickly as possible," he said. "It's a matter of public safety."
Davis was being held in the Pulaski County jail late Monday.
Pulaski County sheriff's office spokesman Capt. Carl Minden said the jail, which has dealt with overcrowding in recent years, can't hold Davis or any other fugitive indefinitely.
"As long as they say they want him and they're coming to get him, we'll hold him," Minden said.
Davis is scheduled to appear on the local charges in North Little Rock District Court this morning.
He is a cousin of Clemmons, who Seattle police shot to death after a two-day manhunt following the Lakewood killings.
Clemmons, a North Little Rock native, had been imprisoned for multiple felony convictions in Arkansas before the police slayings. Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence in 2000. Clemmons was released on parole soon afterward, only to be arrested on multiple other occasions.
Huckabee's decision to reduce Clemmons' sentence was widely criticized.
Metro on 01/05/2016