A Mountain Home man previously known for breaking into local residences while wearing women’s clothing is facing new charges. According to a Mountain Home Police arrest affidavit, 37-year-old Joshua Long was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center early Sunday morning on felony counts of possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine) and breaking or entering and misdemeanor counts of theft of property and resisting arrest. His bond is set at $10,000.
A Mountain Home officer observed a male subject at a storage unit complex on Church Street Saturday night. The man was identified as Long, and after he came out of one of the units, the officer reportedly discovered another unit had been broken into, and some of its contents were removed and loaded into Long’s truck. A pair of metal tin snips were also found in Long’s truck allegedly used for cutting a hole in the adjacent unit. Long allegedly admitted to breaking in the unit. The officer then located a small plastic container with a baggie of a crystalline substance, and another small plastic baggie containing a similar substance was located on Long’s person. The substances field tested positive for methamphetamine and will be sent to the Arkansas State Crime Lab in Little Rock for verification.
Long pled guilty in Baxter County Circuit Court last fall to charges of residential burglary, theft of property, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, was given five years’ probation and was ordered to pay just over $1,400 restitution. The incident began on the evening of July, 7th when a Gassville Police Officer was dispatched to 204 Smith Lane for a home intruder. On arrival, the officer made contact with the victim who said she and her husband own a home on Smith Lane and have been coming up on the weekends to renovate the residence. The distraught victim said she encountered a half naked man described as five-foot-ten to five-foot-eleven with dark hair, dressed in women’s clothing, who fled on foot. The officer tracked Long to a nearby home, and he was taken into custody.
Additional charges were filed against Long in November by Ozark County Prosecutor John Garrabrant including possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), burglary, trespassing and property damage. An Ozark County deputy responded to a call at a house being cleaned in preparation for new residents. The worker said he had noticed a truck parked in the roadway in front of the house earlier in the day. When he went to the house later in the afternoon to begin cleaning, he was originally unable to gain access because the door was screwed shut. After gaining entry, he smelled cigarette smoke coming from inside and realized someone was in the house. He left the building and went to a neighbor’s. When he returned a short time later, he noticed the sliding door facing the roadway was open, and he observed a man, later identified as Long, attempting to enter the vehicle and leave. The man stopped Long and asked for him to remain there until law enforcement arrived. The responding deputy said he noticed Long was wearing women’s clothing and makeup, along with a wig and Muck boots. He was also smoking a cigarette. Long told the officer his truck ran out of gas, and a friend had just dropped him off some gas. Prints matching Long’s boots were found inside the residence, along with a cigarette butt and women’s garments.
Long is scheduled to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court later this month.
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