Devon Stetts of Mountain Home, who was originally arrested and charged with participating in the abduction of a teenage girl from the Mountain Home Walmart parking lot in 2015, was sentenced to two years in prison during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court last week.
The 22-year-old Stetts was originally sentenced to 84 months of supervised probation in April 2016 after pleading guilty to a charge of false imprisonment in connection with the abduction.
The state filed a motion last month to revoke a portion of the suspended sentence imposed in 2016, alleging Stetts had picked up a new charge of third degree domestic violence in late July and had also failed to make payments on fines imposed in the earlier case.
Stetts was charged with participating with a codefendant, Mark Galloway, in the abduction of a then 19-year-old female, identified in police reports as Galloway’s ex-girlfriend. The woman was said to have ended a four-year relationship with Galloway after he was reported to have become violent and abusive.
Mountain Home Police officers were called to Walmart about 8:30 p.m. on May 25th of 2015 to respond to reports of a possible abduction in the store’s parking lot. Two people who witnessed the event told police they heard a woman screaming for help. One of the witnesses actually captured part of the event using the video mode on his cellphone.
The video was reported to show Galloway striking and restraining the female victim. Another witness said she heard what were described as “blood curdling” screams and loud cries for help and saw Galloway pull the victim into a vehicle.
Both witnesses attempted to aid the victim in escaping the situation, but were unable to rescue her before Galloway fled with the victim in her own vehicle to which Galloway was reported to have a spare key.
Galloway fled west on the Sheid-Hopper Bypass and was eventually stopped at the west intersection with U.S. Highway 62/412 by a Cotter police officer traveling in the area.
The Cotter officer reported the victim ran to him even before he took custody of Galloway. The victim told police Stetts had invited her to a meeting in the Walmart parking lot. She said she agreed to come only after being assured by Stetts that Galloway would not be present.
Galloway pled guilty to charges related to his part in the abduction in May 2016 and was sentenced to three years in the Arkansas Department of Correction to be followed by seven years probation.
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