Murder victim’s identity released
The Mountain Home Police Department has identified the murder victim, who was stabbed at the local Dollar General, located at 4016 Highway 5 South, as 38-year-old Kirstie Headley, a store employee and resident of Mountain Home. She was transported to Baxter Regional Medical Center and later died from her injuries.
Mountain Home Police Chief Carry Manual says the suspected assailant, 43-year-old Rick Allen Headley, is being held at the Baxter County Detention Center for murder, based on probable cause, pending the formal filing of charges. As of 11:30 Wednesday morning, he is in the Baxter County Detention Center without bond with charges listed as violating a protection order and charges pending.
Manual says the case has been turned over to 14th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kerry Chism. Requests have been made to the Mountain Home Police Department for internal records regarding both the victim and the suspect. Manual says there are three reports, or separate incidents, listing their names. However, those reports have been made secure as part of the investigation.
Manual declined to comment if there was video evidence obtained at the scene. That particular store does have video surveillance capability. It was reported officers were on the lookout for a red four door vehicle. Rick Headley was in that vehicle at some point, and it has been seized. Manual would not comment if a weapon had been recovered or if any other arrests would be made in relation to the case. He does say this didn’t appear to be a random act.
Online court records indicate in November 2017, Kirstie Headley filed an order of protection against her then husband Rick Headley. In that order it states he was scheduled to be released from incarceration. There are no felony records for him online. On December 12th, a request for dismissal of the protection order was filed and closed the same day.
On January 2nd, the order of protection was reopened, and filed on behalf of Kirstie Headley and a minor female listed in the household. In that report she says she had made several attempts to get Rick Headley to leave her house but he refused. She described him as verbally, mentally and physically abusive toward her. The report states last October he pulled a knife on her. In November last year she reports he pulled a knife on her, stabbed her in the hip and prevented her from calling the police.
The order of protection was reinstated on February 23rd when Rick Headley failed to appear for a hearing.
According to Manual, a 911 call was received reporting the store stabbing at 9:58 Wednesday evening. The caller stated Kirstie Headley was stabbed multiple times by the suspect and he had fled the area. Law enforcement personnel from the Mountain Home Police Department, Baxter County Sheriffs Office, and Arkansas State Police responded to the location with the first officer arriving at 10:00 p.m. While investigators processed the crime scene, law enforcement personnel searched for him. A friend of Rick Headley’s called 911 several times and stated he wanted to turn himself in to law enforcement, but he didnt know his location.
Based on information received by law enforcement personnel, it was determined Rick Headley might have been near the Moose Lodge or the soccer complex on Highway 5 South. Officers located his vehicle near Amons Lake at 11:36 p.m., but he fled on foot prior to their arrival.
The Baxter County Sheriffs Office helicopter and tracking dogs from the Arkansas Department of Correction in Calico Rock were called to assist with the search. During the search, a resident who lives on Widners Place and who is a friend of the suspect, called the Baxter County Sheriffs Office and reported that he was at the residence and wanted to surrender.
Law enforcement personnel responded to the residence and took Rick Headley into custody without incident.
The Baxter County Coroner responded to Baxter Regional Medical Center to work with law enforcement personnel investigating the case.
Kirstie Headley’s body was taken to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory for an autopsy.
Manual says investigators are pulling all of their resources together. He says MHPD owes that to the victim, her family and the citizens of Mountain Home.
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Juvenile charged after alleged school shooting threat
A juvenile suspect is in custody in Marion County following an alleged school shooting threat Tuesday afternoon, and new technology is being credited with his quick apprehension.
Flippin Police Department Assistant Chief Dustin Carter says Marion County 911 operators received a call about 3:15 alleging an unknown male armed with a shotgun was en route to Mountain Home Public Schools to “shoot it up.” The 911 operators advised the Mountain Home Police Department of the alleged threat.
Carter says law enforcement was able to determine the call had been made near the Flippin High School. Offices from the Flippin Police Department were dispatched to the area and conducted a search leading to the juvenile suspect within 13 minutes.
Carter says the juvenile told officers the call was a hoax, and he was simply trying to play a prank. He has been charged with communicating a false alarm.
Carter says at this time, there is no known threat to any local schools.
Marion County 911 Coordinator Jennifer Hart says on February 28th, the county went live with a new 911 call taking system. The system is Next Generation 911 equipped and is able to receive texts to 911 messages.
Hart says the new technology helped expedite response to the shooting threat call.
The Flippin Police Department was assisted in the case by the Marion County Sheriffs Office and the Mountain Home Police Department.
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Nation, Twin Lakes Area respond to FL school shooting
From the halls of Congress, across the nation and to the Twin Lakes Area, school safety was the topic at the forefront on Wednesday.
The U.S. House approved a bill to improve school safety in the wake of the shooting that left 17 dead at a Florida high school. The bill authorizes $500 million over 10 years for grants to improve training and coordination between schools and local law enforcement and help identify signs of potential violence before they occur.
Meanwhile schools across the country and locally participated in the National School Walkout day. Locally, the participation came as a surprise for school administrators who had told KTLO, 101.7 Classic Hits and The Boot news Tuesday they were not aware of students planning to engage in the nationally organized event.
National organizers called for students, teachers, school administrators and parents to take part in walking out of school at 10:00 Wednesday morning, across every time zone, to protest what they call “Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.” The protest was scheduled to last 17 minutes in honor of the 17 Florida high school students.
At Mountain Home Public Schools, Dr. Jake Long, Superintendent, says students from three schools participated in the walkout.
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Dr. Long says while Mountain Home school officials were not aware students were planning to join the event they were prepared for what turned out to be respectful participants.
At Yellville-Summit, Superintendent Wes Henderson says about 30 students quietly participated in the walkout near the flag pole. Henderson says the students, mostly seventh and eighth graders, stood quietly with heads bowed for 17 minutes and then walked back to their classrooms. He says observing the students he described as “great kids” was quite touching.
At Flippin, High School Principal Cassie Gilley says while students there did not participate in the walkout, they have chosen to collect funds to send to the Florida high school, an activity being coordinated by the school’s Student Council.
Cotter Superintendent Vanessa Thomas-Jones says while students there did not choose to participate in the event, school officials were prepared to accommodate them in a designated area.
Norfork High School Principal Bobby Hulse says students there did not participate in the walkout.
Nationwide, nearly 3,000 protests were reported on the one-month anniversary of the Florida school shooting.
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2 Clarkridge firemen injured in rollover accident
Two volunteer Clarkridge firemen were treated and released at Baxter Regional Medical Center Tuesday evening following a rollover accident on Highway 201 North near the Twin Bridges while en route to a fire.
Clarkridge Volunteer Fire Department Assistant Chief Lucy Soltysik says firemen Eddie Houpt and Allen Kendall were treated for minor injuries at BRMC and released. The brush truck they were in was totaled.
The two were responding to a blaze along County Road 38 that had rekindled from a controlled burn earlier in the day.
Soltysik said the blaze was part of a day beginning about 10:00 Tuesday morning when four Clarkridge firemen suited up to assist the U.S. Forestry Service with a controlled burn beginning at 11:00. The control burn was over about 16 acres.
She says after assisting the Forestry Service for about five hours and while putting away their equipment, the Clarkridge firemen were called out for the first of two fires that rekindle from the controlled blaze and were reportedly threatening structures. Soltysik says both fires were contained without any damages to the structures.
She says in addition to the fires, the Clarkridge Fire Department responded to two medical assists Tuesday. Firemen wrapped up their calls and were back in service at 9:30 Tuesday evening. Clarkridge firemen were assisted by the Mountain Home Rural Fire Department.
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Baxter County marking milestone with opening of morgue
Baxter County will soon mark a milestone when it joins a growing number of Arkansas counties opening its first morgue.
Baxter County Coroner Brad Hays says the coroner’s office has been relying on area funeral homes for holding bodies later transferred to the State Medical Examiner in criminal cases. He stresses while there have not been any issues, the new setup with security and limited access will provide a better chain of evidence and evidence preservation.
Hays says the morgue is needed in cases where the cause of death is unknown or unnatural.
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Hays says the number of deaths in Baxter County is increasing.
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Hays says in cases where a death will involve the State Medical Examiner’s Office, Arkansas operates a dual system with all 75 counties having a coroner. The county coroner is a law enforcement officer on the scene at the investigation obtaining external information.
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Hays says Baxter County will have a cooler obtained through the State Medical Examiner’s Office accommodating up to three bodies. While the arrangement may not meet all of the county’s needs, he says it’s a stepping stone.
The morgue will be housed in a county building in Mountain Home just off Fourth Street.
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