Photo: Aaron Tullos
A Cotter man with a string of criminal cases stretching back almost 20 years ran out of “second chances” in Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday.
Thirty-six-year-old Aaron Tullos had his probation revoked in three criminal cases and was sentenced to 15 years in prison after making an appeal for just one more opportunity to fight his drug addiction.
Prosecutor David Ethredge said Tullos “had been given every opportunity on the planet” but had squandered all of them. Ethredge said at times, “You have to say this is the end of the road.”
Tullos’ attorney, Mark Cooper, asked that his client be given another opportunity to enter a rehab program. He said Tullos had been to prison six times, “and that’s not the answer for Aaron.”
Tullos addressed the court and said he “was doing great” in the structured rehab program he had been in before being kicked out. “I need structure in my life,” he told Circuit Judge Gordon Webb, “drugs always drag me down.”
Since no plea agreement had been reached in Tullos’ cases, his sentencing was left up to Judge Webb.
Webb told Tullos there was nothing “more difficult than sending a person seeking help to prison, but you have been given opportunity after opportunity, and, you are not going to get another chance this time.”
The judge said Tullos’ name had appeared on his dockets “almost the entire 17 years I’ve been a judge and everyone has to understand — they are not going to have unlimited chances.”
Tullos’ latest arrest in Baxter County came in early December 2019 when Cotter Police responded to a report of a man apparently passed out on a city-owned gravel pile in the 600 block of Powell Avenue
When the officer arrived, he recognized Tullos from past encounters. He said he observed “signs of impairment” when speaking to Tullos. Drugs were also found on him – including a substance testing positive for methamphetamine.
Tullos had pled guilty to 10 charges in three open drug-related cases just a month before being arrested after being found on the gravel pile. He had been sentenced to 15 years probation.
The new charges resulted in revocation petitions being filed in the earlier cases, alleging he violated the terms and conditions of his probation by committing new offenses. His probation was revoked after the hearing Thursday, and he will spend the 15 years in prison instead of on probation.
When he made a recent appearance before the court, Tullos — despite recent events and his lengthy criminal history — asked that a bond be set for him. Judge Webb denied bond for Tullos at that time.
The decision did not set well with Tullos. Again, despite his arrest history, he claimed to have been “sober and clean” and to have been regularly attending church.
Tullos, who was appearing on a closed circuit television hookup from the Baxter County Detention Center, let fly with decidedly un-church-like profanity to express his displeasure regarding the bond denial. He shoved his chair back and was taken back to his cell.
Prior to his arrest when found splayed out on the gravel pile, Tullos is reported to have participated in a local year-long rehab program and was thought to be doing well.
He was kicked out of that program after eight months
The charges in Tullos’ past have been mainly drug-related, although he has also been accused of being a felon in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest and attempting to sneak contraband into the Baxter County jail.
Tullos also has an active criminal case in Marion County. He is alleged to have jumped on the hood of a car in late January last year.
The driver told investigators he pulled into the driveway of a residence along Marion County Road 7031 when Tullos came running toward his vehicle and mounted the hood.
He said he put the vehicle in reverse trying to throw off Tullos. He told Marion County deputies he stopped at one point because he did not want to run over Tullos.
When the vehicle stopped, Tullos is alleged to have run up to the side of the vehicle, smashed out the driver’s side window and tried to stab the victim with a hunting knife. Tullos was reported to have been yelling about money when the alleged attack took place.
The victim said the knife had penetrated his sweatshirt, but did not break the skin.
Tullos is charged with aggravated assault and criminal mischief in Marion County. His next reappearance in the case is set for mid-February.
Other fairly recent arrests include an incident in which Tullos was reported to be passed out in a vehicle with a handgun in the front waistband of his pants.
A Baxter County deputy who responded to the call found Tullos in the back seat of a vehicle parked along Powell Avenue in Cotter.
Relatives of Tullos said he had first been dropped off at a friends house along Melba Street, but the friend called them and reported Tullos was acting “very strange” and had a firearm.
The relatives picked up Tullos and took him back to their residence along Powell Avenue. They attempted to take him out of the vehicle, but Tullos became “verbally violent,” and the pair called the police.
After the deputy arrived on scene and made contact with Tullos, he began to actively resist arrest but was subdued and taken into custody after a Gassville Police officer arrived at the scene to assist.
The deputy reported at one point in the tussle, Tullos attempted to reach behind his back where the deputy located a small knife in the back pocket of Tullos’ pants. The deputy said he took control of the knife and threw it away from the spot where he was attempted to arrest Tullos.
An unloaded .40-caliber handgun was also taken from Tullos.
Tullos was asked if he had anything illegal on his person and warned he was going to jail and if he did have such items, he might end up with additional charges.
The deputy reported Tullos responded he didn’t care.
While Tullos was being processed into the jail, he dropped a small plastic bag containing what appeared to be methamphetamine. The substance weighed 10.7 grams, according to the probable cause affidavit.
He was also found to have a set of digital scales in his possession.
The charges filed against Tullos stemming from that arrest included being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and bringing drugs into the jail.
Tullos’ first criminal case showed up on electronic court records in June 2003. Since that date, his charges have included breaking or entering, commercial burglary, theft of property, possessing drugs of various sorts as well as paraphernalia to ingest those drugs, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, being a felon in possession of a firearm, resisting arrest, contempt of court, violating probation, attempting to bring drugs into the Baxter County jail, and non-payment of about $30,000 in fines, fees, costs and victim restitution.
He has faced charges in Baxter, Faulkner and Marion counties, has been incarcerated in the state prison system as well as the Baxter and Marion county jails.
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