Jayson Cotter (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
A Mountain Home man is accused of entering a building he was not allowed in and taking items he claimed were his. Fifty-year-old Jayson Cotter is in the Baxter County Detention Center on a felony count of breaking or entering and misdemeanor counts of criminal trespass and theft of property under $1,000.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Baxter County 911 dispatch received a report May 2 of an active break-in on Arkansas Highway 5 North between Mountain Home and Midway. Cotter’s vehicle was reported to be outside the building, and he was not allowed on the property. A Baxter County deputy arrived, and a check of the vehicle confirmed it belonged to Cotter.
The deputy heard movement and waited until a male, identified as Cotter, exited the building. As he was restrained, he was reportedly carrying a guitar, a vehicle key, a black flashlight, a screwdriver and a metal bar with a flat-tip surface.
The deputy told a Baxter County investigator he interviewed Cotter at the scene. Cotter reportedly claimed the building was unlocked, and the owner gave him permission to be on the property. He stated he was retrieving items belonging to him because no one else would.
The deputy also told the investigator an air-conditioning unit hole is believed to be the point of entry, and forced entry was made to a room that was locked. In addition, he discovered a bed in the main portion of the building and items in the separate room which he described as being used as a living room area.
The owner was interviewed by the investigator the next day. He claimed he was working on the property prior to the incident, and the door was locked with a chain when he left. The owner also stated Cotter was not leasing the property, but he may have had an agreement with another male who has been evicted from the property to stay there.
The owner told the investigator he spoke with Cotter a week earlier when he was released from jail and told him not to be on the property. Cotter reportedly told the owner he was entering the building through an opening where an air-conditioning unit was, and the owner repeated his instruction.
Cotter’s bond is set at $15,000.
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