HOT SPRINGS -- A man was arrested on felony warrants May 3 stemming from allegations he stole thousands of dollars worth of copper pipes from the vacant Velda Rose Resort hotel in Hot Springs, causing $18,000 in damages.
Sean Michael Dickson, 41, of 106 Gaither St., was taken into custody at his residence shortly after 1:30 p.m. on charges of commercial burglary and first-degree criminal mischief over $5,000, each punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and theft of scrap metal over $1,000, punishable by up to six years.
Dickson was later released on a $9,500 bond and is set to appear on May 23 in Garland County District Court.
According to a probable cause affidavit, on March 16, Hot Springs police responded to the Velda Rose, 218 Park Ave., regarding someone trespassing on the property of the vacant facility.
Officers located a white 2008 Chevrolet Silverado pickup backed up behind the building on the southwest corner. No one was located in the area, but officers noted the truck was running and had numerous pieces of cut copper pipes in the bed of the truck.
Behind the truck, officers observed where someone had cut through the perimeter fence of the property to gain entry. A large handcart was found just inside the fence that was apparently being used to haul the pipes up from the parking garage area.
The truck was towed to the Police Department and a search warrant executed on it. Detectives located a phone inside the truck. On March 21, police said, Dickson came to the department to claim his keys and phone removed from the truck.
Data removed from the phone showed it was in the Velda Rose building on multiple occasions around the times the owner of the property reported thefts and damages, police said.
A check of LeadsOnline revealed Dickson had sold copper pipe to a recycling company in Little Rock that matched the copper pipe stolen from the hotel, police said. Detectives contacted the company, which provided information showing Dickson had sold copper to it on Feb. 10 for $855.25; on Feb. 28 for $3,828.75; on March 6 for $3,300.25; and on March 13 for $3,898.
Detectives attempted to locate the sources of the copper Dickson had provided at sale and "none of the areas listed as addresses in those locations were found to have copper or construction where this copper would be used," the affidavit says. The affidavit also notes, "None of the persons listed were located or found to be true."
The property manager for the hotel's owner stated the cost of damages from the incident on March 16 was $18,000. He noted he is over the construction and remodeling of the building and did not know Dickson and that he should not have been on the property. He also confirmed the pipes found in Dickson's truck had come from the hotel property.
According to court records, Dickson was convicted of felony fleeing and criminal mischief on March 12, 2020, in Garland County and sentenced to six years' supervised probation. He was previously convicted on Jan. 22, 2015, of felony aggravated assault and sentenced to three years in prison.