Man sought in connection with Peel shooting taken into custody
John Jeanquart, who has been wanted for questioning in a shooting incident that occurred Tuesday morning in the Peel area, was taken into custody Friday afternoon, according to Marion County Sheriff Clinton Evans. Jeanquart had been sought by authorities following the shooting of an unidentified 44 year old woman who was taken to a Springfield hospital with non-life threatening injuries. At last update, the woman was listed in stable condition. Jeanquart is said to have fled the scene in a vehicle which was recovered that afternoon near Bull Shoals Lake.
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Area under high danger level for wildfires
All of North West Arkansas, including the Twin Lakes Area is currently under a high danger for wildfires, according to the Arkansas Forestry Commission with burn bans in affect for Fulton, Searcy and Stone Counties.
Late Friday morning firefighters from Midway and Gamaliel were called to fight brush fires. Firefighters from Tracy, with assistance from Salesville and Mountain Home fire departments and the Forest Service battled a large, quickly moving brush fire for over two hours early Friday afternoon. Less than two hours after returning to quarters, both Midway and Tracy firefighters were called back to the same fires when they reignited.
Baxter County Office of Emergency Management Director Jim Sierzchula says although the county is not under a burn ban, residents should refrain from burning.
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Former Twin Lakes Area resident charged with battery of infant
Zachary McCollum, who formerly lived in the Twin Lakes Area before moving to Texas, has been charged with first-degree battery after allegedly telling investigators, while high on methamphetamine, he had squeezed his then three month old infant son, because the baby was crying, with such force he heard the infant’s ribs crack.
According to court records, McCollum estimated that he squeezed the infant for about three minutes.
The 23-year-old McCollum said that the incident took place at the residence of the baby’s maternal grandparents in Midway in approximately March of last year prior to his move to Texas.
An investigation was launched into the incident when Arkansas authorities received reports from Children’s Medical Center in Dallas indicating that the infant was brought to the facility April 9th, 2016 last year where 18 healing rib fractures as well as a left femur corner fracture were detected.
McCollum was interviewed February 7th by a Special Agent with the Arkansas State Police.
He is also facing the revocation of his probation in two cases in Marion County. In a 2014 case, he pled guilty to charges of forgery and was given six years probation and in a 2012 case in which he pled guilty to commercial burglary and theft of property, he was given five years probation.
In the 2012 case, McCollumm was one of four suspects in a series of robberies at the Yellville-Summit School in mid-February of 2012 in which cash and other items were taken. According to court records, the four were seen on the school’s video surveillance system wearing black hoodies and carrying large swords and machetes. The estimated value of the cash and property stolen in the incidents was listed at $5,000.
According to the probable cause affidavit in that case, the four young men were seen breaking into the school on at least three separate occasions from Friday, February 10th, 2012 to Sunday, February 12, 2012.
McCollum, who turned himself in to authorities, is currently an inmate in the Marion County Jail. Bond on the Baxter County charge is currently set at $100,000. He is scheduled to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court at a later date.
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Norfork man turns himself in on felony assault warrant
A Norfork man, 31-year-old Derrick Hadley Calvert, turned himself in to the Baxter County Detention Center Thursday because of an outstanding felony bench warrant. The warrant was obtained from Circuit Court in January, 2017 for felony aggravated assault on a family or household member and misdemeanor interference with emergency communication. He was released from jail after posting a $10,000 bond and was ordered to have no contact with the victims.
According to a report from Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery, investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Calvert following an investigation into two separate domestic violence incidents that occurred on Blevins Street in Norfork.
The first incident was on December 17, 2016. Calvert’s wife told investigators he had been abusive toward her over the past couple of days. On the day in question, he allegedly fired a handgun in her direction, striking the wall four times. He then took her cell phone and destroyed it so she couldn’t call for help.
The next day, December 18th, Calvert apaarantly grabbed a baseball bat and began smashing the televisions and walls of the home. In addition to his wife, two children were also present. One of the children was able to call 911 for help. By the time officers arrived, Calvert had already fled from the scene. They found a 9mm handgun, in the front yard of the residence, which was seized and taken into evidence.
According to Montgomery, he will appear in the Circuit Court to answer to the charges on February 23rd.
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Outbreak of flu reported in parts of Twin Lakes Area
Reports of flu are being reported in across the Twin Lakes Area. Stephanie Free, the Infection Preventionist at Baxter Regional Medical Center says the hospital began seeing an upswing in cases of the flu over the past weekend with four to eight patients, of all ages, coming to the hospital emergency room each day with the flu.
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Schools are also seeing higher numbers of absenteeism, especially in Flippin where Superintendent Kelvin Hudson says during this week as many as 20 percent of the students at the high school reported absent and 17 percent in the elementary school. Last week Flippin’s middle school had high absentee reports, which has declined this week, according to Hudson.
The Flippin superintendent says students have been sick with the upper respiratory flu, as Free reported at Baxter Regional Medical Center, as well as a stomach virus with vomiting and diarrhea. He says the schools’ custodial staff is working to disinfect all facilities and parents have been asked to keep their child home from school for 24 hours after their symptoms of fever, vomiting and diarrhea have stopped in an effort to keep the bugs from spreading.
Mountain Home Superintendent Dr. Jake Long says absenteeism in the Mountain Home School District is running about seven percent and not all can be attributed to the flu. He says the custodial department is working to keep all school facilities germ free.
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Cotter and Norfork schools report no unusually high numbers of absentees. Cotter Superintendent Chad Harp says student absentee rates due to the flu have been low to medium since December. He attributes mass flu immunization of students and staff at the school for the lack of a flu outbreak in Cotter.
Free says it is never too late to get a flu shot.
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The best way to prevent getting the flu, besides immunization, is proper hygiene.
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Free says if anyone suspects they have the flu to get tested and diagnosed by a medical professional as soon as possible for treatment to be most affective.
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