A Mountain Home resident, 36-year-old Joshua Aaron Long, who pled guilty in a negotiated plea in Baxter County Circuit Court in late November to charges associated with burglarizing a Gassville Home, now faces charges in a similar incident in Ozark County.
Ozark County Prosecutor John Garrabrant said late Thursday felony charges of possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and burglary have been filed against Long. Records indicate he has also been charged with trespassing and property damage.
According to the probable cause statement filed Thursday, the latest incident was investigated November 26th when an Ozark County deputy responded to a call at a house being cleaned in preparation for new residents.
The worker said he had noticed a truck parked in the roadway in front of the house earlier in the day. When he went to the house later in the afternoon to begin cleaning, he was originally unable to gain access because the door was screwed shut.
After gaining entry, he smelled cigarette smoke coming from inside and realized someone was in the house. He left the building and went to a neighbor’s. When he returned a short time later, he noticed the sliding door facing the roadway was open, and he observed a man, later identified as Long, attempting to enter the vehicle and leave.
The man stopped Long and asked for him to remain there until law enforcement arrived.
The responding deputy said he noticed Long was wearing women’s clothing and makeup, along with a wig and Muck boots. He was also smoking a cigarette. Long told the officer his truck ran out of gas, and a friend had just dropped him off some gas.
Prints matching Long’s boots were found inside the residence, along with a cigarette butt and women’s garments.
Long was placed under arrest and transported to the Ozark County Sheriff’s Office. During the interview, Long is alleged to have admitted entering the building and confirming the women’s clothes were his.
In a search of his vehicle, a small bag of a crystal substance field testing positive for methamphetamine was found in the driver’s visor.
Long recently pled guilty in Baxter County Circuit Court to charges of residential burglary, theft of property, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. He was given five years’ probation and ordered to pay just over $1,400 restitution.
The incident began on the evening of July, 7th when a Gassville Police Officer was dispatched to 204 Smith Lane for a home intruder. On arrival, the officer made contact with the victim who said she and her husband own a home on Smith Lane and have been coming up on the weekends to renovate the residence. The distraught victim said she encountered a half naked man described as five-foot-ten to five-foot-eleven with dark hair, dressed in women’s clothing, who fled on foot.
The officer tracked Long to a nearby home, and he was taken into custody.
In the Ozark County case, Long was issued a $5,000 cash only bond.
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