Three now charged in Ozark County murder
Three suspects have now been charged, and two others are expected to be charged in the murder of an Ozark County man. Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed says 73-year-old Lawrence Clinton Brostedt was killed and his home burglarized in a remote area of northern Ozark County in the Foil/Squires area.
Forty-two-year-old Holly Lucas of Mansfield is charged with first degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and first degree robbery. She is being held without bond in the Ozark County Jail.
Thirty-two-year-old Tyler Rynard of Squires is charged with one count of first-degree murder, two counts of armed criminal action and one count each of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. Sheriff Reed says Rynard fled the area and was apprehended a few days later by U.S. Marshals in Orlando, Florida. He is being held without bond.
Twenty-three-year-old Michael A. Smith of Mansfield is charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. He is being held in the Ozark County Jail on a quarter million dollar bond.
Sheriff Reed said officers from his department went to Brostedt’s home on a welfare check after a call from the Mountain Grove Police Department who had arrested a male subject who was in possession of three personal checks belonging to Brostedt.
Reed says officers found a large tarp on the garage floor. Brostedt’s body was found under the tarp wrapped in another tarp and bound tightly by rope.
Authorities believe Brostedt was ambushed from behind and shot in the back of the head. He lived alone at his residence.
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Local physician’s ankle monitor restriction removed
A Marion County man, 60-year-old Lee L. Gibson of Flippin, charged with the felony offense of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child has had his ankle monitor restriction removed.
While Gibson is a physician, he was not practicing in the Twin Lakes Area at the time of his arrest in February. Shortly after his arrest, his medical license was suspended by the Arkansas State Medical Board.
Gibson was booked into the Marion County Detention Center in early February and released later the same day after posting a $50,000 cash bond. He was ordered to wear an ankle monitor as part of the conditions for bond.
Gibson was back in Marion County Circuit Court last week before Circuit Judge John Putman where the ankle monitor restriction was removed.
Fourteenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge told KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news he met with Judge Putman and Gibson’s attorney, Paul Bayless, and agreed for the change in the bond conditions. Ethredge says Gibson is not considered the flight risk he was believed to be at the time of his arrest, noting he has surrendered his passport to authorities. All other conditions of Gibson’s bond remain in place.
Known details on Gibson’s case are limited. In an unusual move, Circuit Judge Gordon Webb sealed the probable cause affidavit and case information at Ethredge’s request the day before Gibson was taken into custody.
The Order to Seal Affidavit and Information document indicates the record was sealed on the grounds that if released to the public, it could compromise an ongoing investigation. In addition, the release of said information is sensitive, and it is necessary to withhold this information for a short time to ensure the investigations are not impaired.
Gibson entered a not guilty plea to the felony charge in Baxter County Circuit Court in mid February via Skype from the Marion County Detention Center. Online records indicate he has until July 18th to enter a final appeal, with a jury trial, if needed, scheduled for August 30th.
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Man’s criminal cases just keep growing and growing
The criminal history of Mountain Home resident Zachary Bales is littered with cases involving charges mainly dealing with possessing drugs and drug paraphernalia — but also with a couple of fairly high dollar thefts and one bizarre incident in which he claimed to have a pack of robotic dogs that might attack a deputy who was arresting him.
Bales currently has seven active criminal cases in Baxter County Circuit Court.
He made an appearance in circuit court Thursday and entered a not guilty plea to the latest charges filed against him.
According to the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office, Bales has been booked into the detention center for various reasons more than 16 times since 2012. He is an inmate there now. His bond, according to the jail log, is set at $85,000.
The continuing stream of charges included those related to events this month and stretch back to mid-September last year.
On April 20th, a search warrant based on a tip led officer to search a home along West North Street where Bales and Taylor Dewitt were arrested.
Police reported finding almost five grams of methamphetamine, paraphernalia used to ingest the drug, and two weapons, including a sawed-off 12 gauge shotgun.
On April 20th, Bales, Dewitt and a third person, Anthony Dechow, are alleged to have participated in a break-in at the Citgo station located along Buzzard Roost Cutoff Road. Video surveillance captured a person breaking the glass on the front door of the business, gaining entrance and taking a large amount of cash and an unknown number of lottery tickets.
When Dechow was interviewed, he said Bales and Dewitt dropped him off at the Citgo and admitted he was the one who actually broke into the building. He said the three people split the money, with Bales receiving the largest share.
On January 23rd, Mountain Home Police stopped a vehicle in which Bales was a passenger. At the time, he had an outstanding felony warrant and was found to have a glass-smoking pipe with residue field testing positive for methamphetamine.
On January 3rd, Bales was allegedly involved in the burglary of a Mountain Home business located along Commerce Drive where items valued at almost $2,500 were taken. Entry to the store was gained by breaking out a glass window.
Bales told officers the stolen items had been brought to him by a friend to be sold.
On January 5th, officers served a search warrant related to the theft at the business along Commerce Drive. When officers went to Bales’ home, they reported finding almost all of the stolen telephones and other electronics taken from the store. In addition to the electronics, the officers also found syringes, glass smoking pipes, digital scales, a box with a large round magnet glued to it, similar to those commonly used to transport illegal substances concealed underneath a vehicle. It was during this search that almost $830 in cash was found, which the state is seeking to seize through a forfeiture action.
On September 17th last year, Bales and another man — Ryan Kinsley-Daniszewski — are both alleged to have been involved in the theft of a 2008 Arctic Cat Prowler UTV from the lot of Ideal RV along State Highway 5 North. Surveillance video shows two males — later identified as Bales and Kinsley-Daniszewski — enter the gated compound at the business in a light colored minivan and then leave with the UTV valued at about $7,000.
A tip was received by the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office complete with a picture of the stolen UTV. The person who had the picture said Bales had provided it allegedly indicating he wanted to trade the UTV for drugs.
Both Bales and Kinsley-Daniszewski were arrested and charged with the theft.
On September 18th, a Baxter County deputy observed a vehicle pull out of a mobile home park onto State Highway 5 driving north. The deputy reported the vehicle came to an abrupt stop on the side of the road with its emergency flashers on.
Before the deputy pulled up behind the vehicle to check on the situation, the driver and passenger both got out of the vehicle and started shining flashlights toward the ground.
Both the driver, later identified as Bales, and one of the passengers — Kevin Quinton — got back in the car as the deputy approached. The deputy reported Bales appeared very nervous with his hands shaking and displaying difficulty in answering simple questions.
Bales told the deputy he was from Pennsylvania, but gave the deputy a driving permit from California.
As the deputy searched the vehicle, he located a set of small scales with the residue of a white crystal-like substance, two glass-smoking pipes, and a .25 caliber pistol. The deputy also reported finding a brown wooden box on the ground on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The box contained suspected marijuana and a smoking pipe.
On October 22nd, Bales was involved in a somewhat bizarre encounter with the law when Baxter County deputies were called to an address along Kingsberry Drive. When the deputy arrived, the residents reported a male unknown to them — later identified as Bales — had been sitting on their porch and had, for some time, showed no inclination to leave.
Bales had, however, left the address before the deputy arrived, but had left personal property behind on the porch including his wallet and identification papers.
As the deputy was wrapping up the investigation at the Kingsberry Drive address, he was dispatched to an address on Buzzard Roost Cutoff where a white male was reported to be on the porch of the home with a knife yelling and demanding to be allowed into the residence.
The deputy did find Bales sitting on a bench on the front porch of the home on Buzzard Roost Cutoff. The deputy said Bales appeared to be heavily under the influence of some type of stimulate.
After the deputy had handcuffed Bales and was taking him to his patrol car, the deputy reported the Mountain Home man became delusional and started barking like a dog. He claimed the house on Buzzard Roost Cutoff was his and warned the deputy he had a pack of robotic dogs that would attack the lawman.
Bales was charged with public intoxication and criminal trespass, both misdemeanors, as a result of the October 22nd event.
The list of lengthy charges against Bales now includes possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, criminal use of a prohibited weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm, theft by receiving, theft of property and breaking or entering.
Many of the crimes contain multiple counts.
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Storm flips mobile home with family inside
A family from Gepp says they are lucky to be alive after powerful storms and winds blew their mobile home over early Thursday morning.
KY3 reports the Johnson family went to sleep knowing there could be strong thunderstorms move through Gepp Wednesday night.
What they did not expect was to be inside their trailer as it started to flip.
Russella Johnson said they woke up about 3:30, and the rain was just beating down.
With 7-month-old Emmie sleeping near a window in their bedroom, Russella Johnson’s motherly instinct kicked in.
She said she went to get Emmie and the family moved into the bathroom.
Jeremiah Johnson said about the time they got to the bathroom, their mobile home shook twice.
The next five minutes seemed like a lifetime.
Jeremiah Johnson said, “Next thing we know, I’m on the ground with my shoulder through a back door window holding her, and she’s laying beside us against the wall.”
Not knowing where they were, Jeremiah found a way out.
He said they went through the hallway and into Emmie’s room where he was able to knock out a window and pull the air conditioner out.
Remarkably, baby Emmie and mom were fine.
Russella Johnson said the baby did not cry at all.
Husband Jeremiah said his arm and back were cut, and he had to have stitches.
Russella Johnson said, “It could have been a lot worse. God was definitely protecting us.”
Now, the recovery begins.
The Johnson’s were staying in the mobile home to save money to build their own house. They say the new house will likely have a storm cellar.
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State covering cost for over $200,000 in election equipment
In a surprising development, Marion County Election Commission officials have been advised state funding will cover the cost of over $211,000 in new election equipment for the county.
Election Commission Chairman Elaine Ryder says the news came from the office of Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin following the recent approval of vote centers for Marion County.
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The Secretary of State’s Elections Division gave final approval to Marion County’s proposal for vote centers in March. The Arkansas General Assembly voted in 2013 to make the state the ninth in the U.S. to adopt permissive use of vote centers as an alternative to traditional, neighborhood-based precincts. Since then, 12 counties have implemented the new process, with Boone County being the first.
At the time the vote centers proposal was approved, Ryder said the new process will begin with early voting, which opens on Monday.
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Following word of the state funding for the election equipment, Ryder said this is a drastic improvement for poll workers and easier for voters casting their ballots.
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Training, onsite support on election day and set-up will also be provided with the new equipment.
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