The mother of one of the four suspects in a March 7 shooting that killed two Pine Bluff high school students is being held in lieu of $150,000 bail after her arrest Monday on suspicion of hindering apprehension and prosecution, and tampering with physical evidence.
A Jefferson County district judge Wednesday found probable cause for Margaret D. Lowe, 33, of Pine Bluff to be held in the county jail. Lowe is the mother of Dashon Cobbs Jr., 17, who along with Kenon Smith, 20, is still wanted in connection to the March 7 shooting deaths of Dollarway High School senior A'Sharry Thomas, 18, and Pine Bluff High School sophomore Julian Tolbert, 16, at Sunset Village Apartments, 2611 W. 34th Ave.
Quentine Lowe, 18, was arrested Saturday in Maumelle and brought back to Pine Bluff on suspicion of two counts of capital murder, two counts of first-degree battery, one count of terroristic act and tampering with physical evidence. Kavon Bledsoe, 21, of Pine Bluff was arrested and booked into the county jail March 10 on the same charges.
According to an affidavit by Pine Bluff police Detective Jason Boykin, Bledsoe told him during an interview he and the three other suspects were in a yard at Cobbs' house on East 46th Avenue talking about a plan to burn Bledsoe's vehicle following the shooting.
Police arrived at Cobbs' residence in an attempt to contact him, but no one was home, Boykin said. While at the residence, an unidentified person reportedly spoke to police briefly through a security camera.
That was when Margaret Lowe's mother reportedly arrived while police were at the residence and gave Boykin a number that belonged to Margaret Lowe. Margaret Lowe reportedly returned the call.
Detectives served a search warrant on the residence regarding the security camera March 13 and again tried to make contact, but no one was home, according to Boykin. Three minutes later, another detective spoke with Margaret Lowe through the camera and asked if he was Boykin, to which the detective said no. Margaret Lowe reportedly advised detectives she was at work at Jefferson Regional Medical Center at the time.
Boykin said he went to the hospital to ask Margaret Lowe to speak with police at her residence, and according to detectives she had arrived at the residence just before Boykin did.
Police searched the residence and did not find any hard drive or recording devices for the cameras, Boykin wrote.
"Margaret stated to me that her eight-year-old daughter is the only person that has access to the camera and it is on her phone through an app," Boykin wrote. "She advised me her daughter is with her mom, but she was on her way. I advised her that I am going to need her phone also because she spoke with Detectives [through] the camera while she was at work.
"Margaret stated to me that I was not getting her phone because it is not connected to the camera on her residence. She first denied speaking to the Detectives, then she stated she was talking through her daughter's phone that was on speaker phone. I asked Margaret how did she do that if she was at work and her daughter was with her grandmother? Her response was her lawyer told her, she did not have to give me her phone. I advised her several times I have a search warrant for any storage device or electronic device that has access to the security camera on the residence."
Margaret Lowe allegedly gave Boykin the phone she had in her hand, which Boykin said he thought was her's, and her daughter's phone along with the lock code for the latter. But a few hours later, Boykin wrote, Margaret Lowe's uncle called detectives and said detectives had his mother's (and Margaret Lowe's grandmother's) phone and not Margaret Lowe's.
During a statement the uncle gave to detectives March 14, according to Boykin, the uncle said he was told as Margaret Lowe was leaving to meet police at her house she reached down and grabbed his mother's phone off the table. Margaret Lowe allegedly told him police took her grandmother's phone although she advised detectives it wasn't hers, according to Boykin.
"She never once stated that the phone did not belong to her; she acted like it was her phone and [was very hesitant] to give it to me," Boykin wrote, adding he wore his body cam for the interaction with him and Margaret Lowe. "Every time she would talk about the phone, it was 'my phone,' never 'grandmother's phone.'
"Margaret purposely gave me her grandmother's phone to be deceiving and not get her phone searched," Boykin continued.
Boykin said he went to arrest Margaret Lowe on March 15 at the hospital, but her supervisor told him she called and needed to take off, citing a family emergency. Lowe arrived back at work 12 days later and was placed in custody.
Boykin said Margaret Lowe still has not turned over her phone and added she claims to not have a phone but gave him her grandmother's phone number. Boykin added he was charging her with tampering with physical evidence due to the long time period since first making contact with her.
The number in the Cash App search option allegedly came back with a profile name belonging to Denise Lowe, whom Boykin said is Margaret Denise Lowe.
Margaret Lowe is booked in the Dub Brassell Detention Center under Margaret Dee Lowe.
It was not immediately known who is representing her.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Cobbs and Smith is asked to call the police Detective Division at (870) 730-2096, tip line at (870) 730-2106 or the dispatch center at (870) 541-5300.