Tag Archives: AR

AR ‘nighTTrain’ Bassist Jeff Elmer Goes Missing Car Located Fayetteville Veterans Memorial Park

by
Reply

FAYETTEVILLE, AR. (THECOUNT) — A frantic search is on for missing Arkansas bass player Jeff Elmer, after he was reported missing by his father last Tuesday.

Robert Jeffrey Elmer, 61, who plays bass for Arkansas cover band nighTTrain,” has now been missing for 5 days as search-and-rescue crews doubled their efforts to locate him.

Elmer’s vehicle was located Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Park in Fayetteville, but nothing suspicious was found at the scene, according to police.

Crews from agencies in Washington and Benton Counties as well as Fayetteville and Springdale have been searching the Lake Fayetteville area for several days, and their tactics increased Saturday, reports OzarksFirst.

Via NighTTrain bio:

nighTTrain was formed in July of 2009 by seasoned musicians with a passion for music and performing with a goal of doing something a little different than other bands: straight-up Classic Rock in the mold of acts like Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy and Van Halen. With James Dunham and Darin Forrest handling lead guitar and vocals and brothers Waylon Barnes and Tuff Barnes on bass and drums, they assembled a hard rocking show in just a few weeks.. After adding exciting frontman Joe Hall to the mix in 2010 and bassist Jeff Elmer in late 2013, the band is rocking harder than ever tearing up the regional casino circuit non-stop! The rotation includes Cherokee Casinos, Hard Rock of Tulsa, Downstream Casinos, and Choctaw Casinos all in Oklahoma. Songs include “guitar rock” hits from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s with a few originals thrown in. nighTTrain is known for putting on concerts that are both high energy and fun!

A mounted horse team, boat teams, sonar equipment and K-9 Units were all deployed to search for Elmer, but there was no luck finding him again Saturday, according to Washington County Emergency Management.

The search began around 7 a.m. and ended around 6:30 p.m., and crews won’t do widespread searches Sunday.

Anyone with possible information on Elmer’s whereabouts should contact police at 911.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Fayetteville is a city in northwest Arkansas. Near the University of Arkansas campus, the Clinton House Museum was the first home of Bill and Hillary Clinton. Vintage and modern airplanes are on display in a hangar at the Arkansas Air and Military Museum. To the west, Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park was the site of a Civil War battle. Mount Sequoyah Woods Trail runs through a thick forest – wikipedia.

MO Woman Jennifer Rhines ID’d As Pedestrian Fatally Struck In Arkansas Tuesday Night

by
Reply

MISSISSIPPI COUNTY, AR. (THECOUNT) — Jennifer Rhines, of of Hayti, Missouri, has been identified as the pedestrian fatally struck in Mississippi County, Arkansas on Tuesday evening.

Rhines, 38, died after a fatal pedestrian strike in Arkansas on Tuesday evening.

According to police, Rhines was on-foot in the middle of North CR-761 in Chickasawba Township, when she was struck and killed by a truck around 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to Arkansas State Police.

Rhines was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

Rhines’ body is being held at Great River Medical in Blytheville, Ark., reports KFVS.

It is unclear if anyone was cited at the scene.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Mississippi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,480. There are two county seats, Blytheville and Osceola. The county was formed on November 1, 1833, and named for the Mississippi River which borders the county to the east – Wikipedia.

AR Active Shooter Reported Inside Forrest City Walmart Monday

by
Reply

FORREST CITY, AR. (THECOUNT) — Forrest City Police in Arkansas confirmed they are on the scene of an active shooter inside a Walmart on Deaderick Rd in Arkansas Monday.

The store is located at, 205 Deaderick Rd, in Forrest City, AR.

This is a breaking news story. Reload page for update as they become available.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Forrest City is a city in St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States, and the county seat. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who used the location as a campsite for a construction crew completing a railroad between Memphis and Little Rock, shortly after the Civil War – Wikipedia.

AR Woman Audrea Denise Booker ID’d As Victim In Wednesday Hot Springs Crash

by
Reply

HOT SPRINGS, AR. (THECOUNT) — Audrea Denise Booker has been identified as the victim in a Hot Springs, Arkansas crash involving three vehicles Wednesday night.

Booker, 29, was killed in a three-vehicle collision Tuesday night on Highway 70 east just west of its intersection with Highway 128, according to an Arkansas State Police preliminary fatal crash summary.

Police say, Booker was operating a Ford Focus when she was killed in a Highway 70 wreck which occurred shortly after 6:45 p.m. The drivers of both other vehicles and a passenger, Tommy E. Avance, 35, of Hot Springs, in Booker’s vehicle were injured and transported to area hospitals.

According to the report, Mihai Flueras, 40, of Hot Springs, driving a 2004 Dodge Ram truck, was westbound on Highway 70 when he crossed the center turn lane and traveled into the eastbound traffic lane. The left front of Flueras’ truck struck the left side of an eastbound 2010 Nissan Rogue, driven by a minor, which caused the truck to rotate counterclockwise toward the south side of the road, reports HOTSR.

The report notes conditions were cloudy and wet at the time of the wreck.

Friends and family members took to Facebook to remember the beloved woman:

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Hot Springs is a city in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. It’s known for naturally heated springs, many of them in Hot Springs National Park to the north. Bathhouse Row has 8 bathhouses from the 19th and 20th centuries. These include Buckstaff Baths, with thermal baths. The elaborate, stained-glass-and-marble Fordyce Bathhouse has a lobby fountain and houses the park’s visitors center and museum – wikipedia.

University of Central Arkansas Student Rebekah Harpool ID’d As Victim In Fatal Thursday Crash

by
Reply

CONWAY, AR. (THECOUNT) — University of Central Arkansas student, Rebekah Harpool, was hit by a car on campus and later died this morning.

Sophomore Harpool was a Presidential Scholar from Little Rock who was part of the Schedler Honors College who was pursuing a degree in Special Education.

On January 8, at approximately 7:32 p.m., the UCA Police Department, Conway Police Department, Conway Fire Department, and MEMS responded to a car accident involving a UCA sophomore.

The accident happened in the parking lot east of the HPER Center on UCA campus reports FOX16.

UCA PRESIDENT HOUSTON DAVIS STATEMENT:

Faculty, Staff and Students,

It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our students, Rebekah Harpool, has passed away. Rebekah, a Presidential Scholar from Little Rock, was a sophomore in the Schedler Honors College who was pursuing a degree in Special Education. She passed away from injuries sustained after being accidentally struck by a vehicle Wednesday in the parking lot east of the HPER Center.

There are no words to convey the depth of pain that our UCA family feels over the loss of one of our students. Rebekah’s passing is incredibly sad and her UCA classmates, along with faculty and staff, are heartbroken at this news. We have seen over the past few hours how cherished that she is by the Harpool family and their close friends. We join them in mourning the loss of a very special young woman.

We recognize that the death of a student affects the entire campus community. Please keep each other close and lean on one another for support in the coming days and weeks. The UCA Counseling Center is available to anyone who feels they need to talk to someone. If you or someone you know is in need of assistance, please reach out.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state’s most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Conway is unusual in that the majority of its residents do not commute out of the city to work – Wikipedia.

AR Pair Napoleon Haire & Brandi Purtle Arrested Over Friday Sherwood Double-Homicide Of Steve Lutman & Britney Bell

by
Reply

SHERWOOD, AR. (THECOUNT) — Napoleon Haire Jr. and Brandi Purtle have been arrested in connection to a Friday an Arkansas double homicide. A third individual, Gabrielle Hill, has been named a person of interest.

The victims have been identified as Steve Lutman, 31, from Sherwood, and Britney Bell, aka, Britney Robertson, 36, from Beebe, Arkansas.

Sherwood police, officers responded to 103 Markhaven Drive in Sherwood, AR, just before 5 a.m. Friday for a welfare check. When officers arrived, they discovered a woman in the driveway, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators then found a man’s body inside the home.

Haire faces capital murder, aggravated robbery, theft of property and endangering the welfare of a minor charges. Haire was a suspect in an Amber Alert issued Friday, reports FOX16.

Purtle faces endangering the welfare of a minor and hindering apprehension charges.

Police are searching for a third person, Gabrielle Hill, also known as “Elle”, as a person of interest in the case. If you see Hill or know where she may be, call Sherwood Police at 501-835-1425.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Sherwood is a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city was 29,523. It is part of the Little Rock−North Little Rock−Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area with 699,757 people according to the 2010 census – Wikipedia.

AR Man James Degnan ID’d As Victim Killed In Thursday Fort Smith Motorcycle Crash ‘Fleeing Police’

by
Reply

FORT SMITH, AR. (THECOUNT) — James Edward Degnan, of Fort Smith, Arkansas, has been identified as the victim in a fatal Thursday afternoon motorcycle crash, according to Arkansas State Police.

Degnan, 24, was traveling on a motorcycle when he collided with a vehicle on Thursday around 3:30 p.m.

According to reports, police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Degnan when he failed to pull over.

Degnan was fleeling police while operating a motorcycle near the intersection of S. Waldron Rd. and Grand Avenue, in Fort Smith, when he collided with an SUV after running a red light. He was then ejected from the bike.

Degnan was pronounced dead at the scene.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Fort Smith is a city on the Arkansas River, in northwest Arkansas. The Fort Smith National Historic Site traces the town’s origins as a military post during the frontier era. The Fort Smith Museum of History further explores local history. The Trolley Museum displays historic streetcars. Near Riverfront Park, Clayton House is an Italianate-style mansion, and Miss Laura’s is a visitor center housed in an 1896 brothel – wikipedia.

Walmart ‘Sorry’ After Offering Kids ‘Cocaine Themed’ Christmas Apparel ‘Let It Snow!’

by
Reply

BENTONVILLE, AR. (THECOUNT) — Walmart is apologising after offering a childrens “Let It Snow” Christmas garment with an apparent cocaine reference.

The pullover, which features an image of Santa Claus behind a table with pile of powder and three white lines that look similar to cocaine lines, is no longer offered for sale at Walmart.

The phrase “Let it snow,” appears on the garment.

“These sweaters, sold by a third-party seller on Walmart.ca, do not represent Walmart’s values and have no place on our website,” Walmart said in a statement on Saturday. “We have removed these products from our marketplace. We apologize for any unintended offense this may have caused,” reports PIX11.

The sweater did not appear to be available as of Sunday night.

Walmart declined to comment further on Sunday.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Bentonville is a city in Arkansas. It’s known as the birthplace of the retailer Walmart. Downtown’s Walmart Museum includes founder Sam Walton’s original five-and-dime store. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art displays work from the colonial era to the present. Its sprawling grounds include forest trails, sculpture gardens and waterside pavilions. The Scott Family Amazeum offers hands-on science and art exhibits – wikipedia.

AR UAPB Star Student ‘Sierra’li Wade’ Shot Dead Monday Night In Lake Village ‘Playing Basketball’

by
Reply

LAKE VILLAGE, AR. (THECOUNT) — Sierra’li Wade, a student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, ROTC cadet, and a star student-athlete, was fatally shot Monday evening, according to Tuesday morning reports.

Wade, a popular freshman student, was playing basketball in the hometown of Lake Village, Arkansas, when the fatal shooting occurred on Monday evening.

Members of Student Affairs expressed condolences to Wade’s family:

“This news is truly devastating for our campus community,” said UAPB Chancellor Laurence B. Alexander in a letter to the campus community, “even more so because it occurred as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday,” reports THV.

Counseling services have been made available to UAPB students that are struggling to handle their grief.

DEVELOPING::

Geo quick facts: Lake Village is a city in and the county seat of Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,575 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Arkansas Delta. Lake Village is named for its location on Lake Chicot, an oxbow lake formed by the Mississippi River – Wikipedia.

AR Man Michael Gravelle ID’d As Victim In Wednesday Night Fatal Muldrow OK Crash

by
Reply

MULDROW, OK. (THECOUNT) — Michael Gravelle of Van Buren, Arkansas, has been identified as the victim in a fatal single-vehicle crash near Muldrow, Oklahoma Wednesday, according to reports.

Gravelle, 24, was killed and two others injured after they were involved in a Muldrow wreck Wednesday night.

Gravelle was operating a vehicle on CR-4739, AKA, Rex Scott Road, around 8 p.m. Wednesday, when for unknown reasons, the vehicle crossed centerlines and exited the roadway. The vehicle then entered a culvert which caused it to roll. The vehicle traveled over 400 feet before coming to a rest after striking a grouping of trees and again rolling over.

Gravelle was ejected from the vehicle during the violent crash.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

His two passengers — Amber Oglesby and David Reed, both of Muldrow — were transported to Baptist Health in Fort Smith, Arkansas with head and leg injuries. Both have been released, reports 5NewsOnline.

Gravelle and Oglesby were wearing seatbelts at the time.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

According to social media, Gravelle graduated from Hartford High School in Hartford, AR. He was originally from Hartford, Arkansas, according to Facebook.

Geo quick facts: Muldrow is a town in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,466 at the 2010 census, an increase of 11.7 percent from 3,104 at the 2000 census – Wikipedia.