Fugitive from violent Cotter domestic incident captured

A Baxter County man, 47-year-old Robert Wayne Hadley of Cotter, wanted by authorities following a violent domestic disturbance over $5 last Saturday is in custody.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says parolee Hadley was arrested Friday morning on an outstanding bench warrant for first-degree battery.

Montgomery says a violent domestic disturbance reportedly occurred between Hadley and his stepfather at a residence along Walnut Hill Lane in Cotter resulting in injuries. Hadley reportedly used a baseball bat to assault his step-father and his mother.

Hadley was said to have become enraged over the issue of $5 he wanted to borrow from his mother to purchase a knife. Hadley struck his 76-year-old stepfather in the head and hand with the baseball bat. He also injured his 65-year-old mother while she was attempting to take the bat away from him. Both victims sustained injuries requiring medical attention. They were able to escape the residence and go to a neighbor’s home.

Hadley initially remained at the house, but had left before deputies arrived. Several deputies searched the area for the Cotter man, but were unable to locate him that evening. The baseball bat had been picked up and held by the neighbor to prevent Hadley from using it again.

A bench warrant was issued Tuesday for Hadley’s arrest. Information obtained via a search warrant issued to a communication service provider allowed authorities to track the fugitive to a residence in Marion County Friday morning. The sheriff’s office requested assistance from Arkansas Department of Community Corrections’ Fugitive Task Force in apprehending Hadley. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office was also made aware of the situation.

A team of officers from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections, and the canine team from the Arkansas Department of Correction – North Central Unit in Calico Rock descended upon a residence along Marion County Road 7032 in Flippin and found Hadley there. He was arrested and taken into custody without incident.

The Cotter man was taken to the Baxter County Detention Center and booked on two felony counts of first-degree battery. Bond was set at $50,000 as specified on the warrant, and Hadley is set to appear in circuit court next month.

In addition, a no-bond parole violation hold has been placed on Hadley, who has been booked into the Baxter County Jail 21 times since 2000, primarily on drug and alcohol charges. He was released on parole from the Arkansas Department of Correction in May 2017.

Also, while at the residence, officers encountered a probationer, 22-year-old Jarred William Kingbird of Midway, who was arrested on an outstanding warrant from the Cabot Police Department for failure to appear in court on a shoplifting charge. Kingbird was taken to the Baxter County Detention Center and incarcerated, pending transfer to Cabot authorities.

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