Eight people face felony charges
Forgery, threats and drugs make up accusations
EL DORADO — Eight people facing felony charges made their first court appearances Monday with 35th District Court Judge Jack Barker presiding.
• Meredith M. Atwell, 38, of
Huttig, faced charges in connection with trying to open an online bank account and cash a check using another person’s name, according to the El Dorado Police Department.
Police said she attempted to cash another person’s check on March 2, in the amount of $450, but Southern Bancorp closed the account before money could be transferred. Atwell was arrested March 17, for charges unrelated to the police department’s case. While she was in jail, officers served her a warrant for forgery charges April 15, according to the police department.
Atwell is being charged with the following felonies: second-degree forgery, financial identity fraud; and theft of property, a class-A misdemeanor.
She is being held in lieu of a
$10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• Dennis Yanis Aguilar, 26, of El Dorado, was arrested Friday for allegedly handling a handgun and threatening a person, stating: “If you don’t give me back my money, I’m going to kill you!” according to the Union County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to a residence located at the 100 block of Union Road 776, where they talked with the victim for a witness account. He said Aguilar never pointed the gun at him, but he did fear for his life. Another witness confirmed the first witness’ account, according to the report.
During the court session, Aguilar had a Spanish interpreter recite Barker’s words.
Aguilar is being charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and aggravated assault. He is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• James C. Thompson, 25, of El Dorado, was arrested Saturday for allegedly fleeing from a traffic stop, possessing methamphetamine and having four traffic-related citations, according to the police department.
At 12:30 a.m., police flashed their lights and pulled Thompson over into a McDonald’s parking lot, 1730 N. West Ave., but when the officer approached Thompson’s vehicle, he drove away, according to the report. Thompson fled in the vehicle down N. West Avenue toward 10th street until he drove into a person’s yard and struck a tree, said Capt. Kevin Holt, public information officer for the El Dorado Police Department.
Once officers arrested Thompson and booked him into jail, they found a syringe with methamphetamine on his person, Holt said.
He is being charged with the following felonies: possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, furnishing of prohibited articles; along with fleeing, a class-A misdemeanor; and four traffic offenses: driving without a license, without liability insurance, without a seatbelt, and with a defective taillight.
He is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• Anthony J. Lytle, 39, of El Dorado, was arrested Monday for allegedly possessing a small amount of methamphetamine and syringes, according to the police department.
At 2:30 a.m., police said they heard what sounded like a tailgate being opened and closed at the intersection of S. College Avenue and W. Hillsboro Street. In the area, police noticed a vehicle traveling without headlights and made a traffic stop.
After running the driver’s license and registration through their system, officers found that the vehicle license matched with a different car, Holt said.
Inside the vehicle, police saw a clear box containing syringes and other paraphernalia with a small amount of methamphetamine, according the police department.
He is being charged with possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• Ronald M. Head, 28, of Norphlet, was arrested Friday for allegedly busting out the windows of his father’s car with a tire iron and threatening to shoot his father, according to the sheriff’s office.
At 1 p.m., deputies responded to a residence located at the 400 block of Wages Drive, where they saw a silver Honda Civic with all the windows busted out, according to the report.
The complainant told authorities that Head broke into the vehicle and tried to use firearms from inside the vehicle to shoot him.
In court, Head said he didn’t remember much; “I was on PCP.”
Head is being charged with first-degree terroristic threatening and first-degree criminal mischief.
He is being held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• Germany J. Maxwell, 23, of Junction City, was arrested Friday for allegedly hitting someone in the face, causing multiple fractures, according to the police department.
At 6:22 a.m., police said they responded to a residence located at the 700 block of El Dorado Avenue, in reference to a fight that escalated, causing the victim to be sent to the hospital with multiple facial fractures.
No weapons were used at the scene, according to
the police department.
Maxwell is being charged with second-degree domestic battery and held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, cash or corporate surety.
• Belinda R. Strickland, 52, of Smackover, was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree forgery. She was released on a recognizance bond.
• Charles Gulley, 43, of El Dorado, was arrested Friday in connection with having a makeshift vehicle tag, made of sharpie and duct tape, on the back of his car, according to the police department.
He is being charged with false evidences of title or registration. He was released on a recognizance bond.
“You need to get an attorney,” Barker said. “More than likely, this will end up being a misdemeanor.”
If able to make bond, the people facing felony charges are bound to circuit court for further proceedings, confined to a curfew, limited by no-contact orders and restricted from non-prescription drugs, alcohol or firearms.