Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery says Travis Wade Smith, the subject of a manhunt Sunday wanted in connection with the burglary of Fred’s Fish House and the J. & J. Convenience Store in Baxter County, was arrested Thursday evening. Sheriff’s Investigators obtained leads Thursday afternoon indicating Smith was at a residence on Foster Drive in Midway.
He's been booked into the Baxter County jail on multiple charges related to the incident and an investigation is ongoing. He will face an additional charge of fleeing from Thursday's manhunt, and will also be facing holds from Fulton County, Arkansas, Ozark County, Missouri, and from the State of Oklahoma for other crimes.
Officers went to the Midway residence at approximately 4:30 Thursday evening and Smith fled out the back door and ran into the woods behind the home. Officers from several agencies responded until tracking dogs could arrive.The Arkansas Department of Corrections – North Central Unit tracked him through the woods for about an hour and was able to apprehend him near Capewood Lane at approximately 6:36 PM.
On Tuesday, a District Judge signed a probable cause affidavit for the issuance of a felony arrest warrant charging Smith with two counts of commercial burglary, two counts of theft of property, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of instruments of crime, criminal use of a prohibited weapon and fleeing on foot from a law enforcement officer.
Agencies involved in the manhunt include ten deputies from the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas Department of Corrections Canine Team, Arkansas State Police, Lakeview Police Department, Ozark County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office, and the Mountain Home Police Department.