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William Chwalinski
TUESDAY, December 5, 2017 / Vol. 3 Issue 49 / 75 cents
15 felony cases filed in month The prosecuting attorney’s office filed 15 felony cases in Van Buren County Circuit Court during the month of November. Several of those cases already had been reported in The Voice. Here are some that have not been previously reported. E r i c Samuel Edwards, 24, of Clinton is facing a charge of commercial burglary, a Class C felony. Edwards is accused of breaking in to the First Assembly of God Church on Nov. 26, 2017. He and a second man were identified on video as using the church’s stolen credit card at Walmart the same day, according to an affidavit for arrest. Other credit cards, a bank bag with currency inside and a video recorder battery were among items found in the car Edwards was driving when he was apprehended, according to the report. Other stolen items were found at three separate residences after the other man on the video told police where to look. Those items included Play Stations, Handycams, an iPad and a Smith and Wesson revolver. Edwards is due in court for plea and arraignment on Jan. 9, 2018. James Herbert Wise, 54, of Damascus has been charged with aggravated assault, a Class D felony. According to the affidavit, Wise broke down a bedroom door and ordered two people who had been staying with him to leave his house. He was armed with a knife and crossbow, the affidavit states. Wise suffered a gash to his forehead when the other man wrested away his weapons, the report states. It was determined that the guest had acted in self-defense. On Nov. 25, Roger Dale McKnight, 63, of Mountain View was charged with violating a no contact order in Fairfield Bay. After he was taken to the county jail, a substance that field tested as methamphetamine was discovered. The possession charge is a Class D
Council works on budget
felony.
Nicholas William Perry, 26, of Little Rock was stopped for crossing the center line, according to an affidavit, and when his car was searched, police discovered drug paraphernalia. The charge against Perry is a Class D felony. Jonathan Wesley James, 29, of Clinton was arrested Nov. 24 on an outstanding parole warrant. According to an affidavit, James was found to be in possession of two controlled substances and drug paraphernalia. One of the drug charges was a felony, the other two misdemeanors. Mark Shane Fleming, 41, was stopped for going 74 in a 55 mph zone on and an inventory of his vehicle found drug paraphernalia and a rifle, according to the affidavit. The paraphernalia charge is a Class D felony. Tonya Aramburo, 24, of Fairfield Bay was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor after her child was found walking in the roadway near her home. The charge is a Class D felony. T i n a Keeling, 38, of Clinton was charged with theft of property, a Class D felony, after being accused of stealing lottery tickets worth more than $1,800 from her place of employment. Dylan Hovick, 22, of Shirley was charged with terroristic threatening, a Class D felony, after an altercation with his brother and mother. According to the affidavit, Hovick pulled a knife and threatened his brother. Kaleb Kirkendoll, 33, of Clinton was charged with terroristic threatening, a Class D felony, after a woman told police he dragged her by her hair and threatened to cut her head off, according to an affidavit
Turn on the lights – The Christmas trees of Clinton were glowing brightly Sunday night. This year, there is a second tree beside the property on Moss Street that the city recently bought as well as in City Park.
Assessor won’t seek re-election Long-time Van Buren County Assessor Trina Jones announced last week that she will not be seeking another term in office. Jones has been assessor for 11 years and has worked for the county for 23 years. “I have always taken pride in my job,” Jones said in a
statement. “Being an elected official was never a dream of mine as a child, but that is who I am now. I ran for assessor in 2006 because I loved my job and wanted to continue to grow in the knowledge of assessing and valuing properties,” she said. “It’s with a sad
but grateful heart I have made the decision not to seek re-election in 2018 election. I will be finishing up my term which will end December 31, 2018. I have served enough time and can retire with full benefits so I believe it’s time to let someone else have a chance to do the same.”
The Clinton City Council met last week to discuss money. Mayor Richard McCormac handed out his proposed budget that he worked on with Zoning director Phillip Ellis. McCormac said the councilors would meet a couple of times this week with department heads to work on the details of the approximately $2 million budget. McCormac said revenue projections are down and the council will meet quarterly next year to keep watch on the budget. He said he does not think the city is overstaffed and he is hoping to give raises and a bonus to everyone. He said a 55 cent per hour raise to everyone will add about $11,000 to the city’s budget. He said the year-end bonus would be $100 per person, if the council agrees. Councilman Jeff Pistole pointed out that in 1996 the council passed a resolution detailing how the city’s 1-cent sales tax was to be used. The city does not follow that resolution and Pistole said he thought that was some of the reason the recent sales tax vote failed, He said the council needs to follow the resolution or rescind it. At the end of the meeting, McCormac said the city has “done a lot of good things. Now we have to maintain them.”
Petitions
Dec. 1, 2017, is the first day for individuals who want to qualify as an independent candidate for public office to circulate petitions. Van Buren County Clerk Pam Bradford reminds potential candidates. Those petitions are due March 1, 2018.
Meeting moves
The Dec. 21 meeting of the Van Buren County Quorum Court will be held at the library in Clinton. There will be a reception at 5 p.m. followed by the meeting at 6 p.m. It is open to the public.
Office closed
Only two more issues of The Voice of Van Buren County for 2017. Our office will be closed Dec. 20 through Dec. 26, 2017, so that the staff may reacquaint themselves with their families. There will be
Libby Gatton paints over the Arkansas Grand Showroom sign last week. She and her husband Leo have purchased the building from Gerald Koogan. They are opening a flea market, antiques and more store called Sister’s Emporium in January. no Voice for Dec. 26. We’ll be back in the office Dec. 27 and the Voice will resume publication Jan. 2, 2018. Merry Christmas.
Time change
The December Clinton School Board meeting will be the usual third Monday, which falls on Dec. 18, but the start
time will be 5 p.m. instead of the usual 5:30 p.m., according to the superintendent’s office.