Local appears in court following auto accident, damaged pole
EL DORADO — A 28-year-old Union County man appeared Monday in 35th Judicial District Court on charges stemming from an accident in which he allegedly collided with another vehicle, sending it into a utility pole that then snapped in two, according to El Dorado police reports.
Austin M. Machen, of 149 Stocks Road, reportedly told officers on the scene that he “did not know he had been involved in an accident.”
Officers responded at 11:17 p.m. to a report of a two-vehicle accident in the area of Martin Luther King and Edmonds.
One of the vehicles — driven by Barbara Lark, of El Dorado — had struck a utility pole belonging to Entergy, police said.
They noted that several power lines were hanging low when they arrived on the scene.
Police said the front end of the other vehicle, a gray Chrysler 300, was
heavily damaged and the airbags had been deployed.
Lark told police that she was driving north on MLK when an oncoming car veered into her lane. Lark said she pulled onto the side of the road in an effort to avoid a collision, but the other vehicle struck her, sending her Dodge Journey into a utility pole, causing it to “break in half.”
No injuries were reported. Police said the front bumper and passenger and driver’s sides of Lark’s vehicle were damaged.
While speaking with Machen, the driver of the Chrysler, police noted that his speech was slurred and mostly incoherent.
They also said he swaying back and forth while standing and had difficulty walking.
Machen reportedly told officers that he “remembered taking an Ambien and going to bed, and the next thing he knew, his hands were bloody.”
Police said they smelled alcohol on Machen’s breath, and a preliminary breath test showed an alcohol concentration level that was nearly twice the legal limit in Arkansas for driving while intoxicated for drivers over 21.
Officers said the results of the preliminary test led them to believe that Machen may have taken narcotics.
Machen also failed field sobriety tests, police said, and he was taken into custody for DWI, first offense.
Police said Machen initially denied having taken any narcotics, but he later admitted to having taken an Ambien and having drunk a “small amount of alcohol.”
As they were removing Machen’s personal belongings from his car prior to it being towed from the scene, police said they found a crack cocaine rock inside the car.
Machen was then charged with possession of crack cocaine. He was also cited for careless and prohibited driving.
During his first appearance hearing in district court on Monday, Machen was issued a $10,000 signature bond, which required the signatures of three registered voters in Union County.
Cookies stolen
A 15-year-old boy was arrested on the morning of April 29 for allegedly breaking into PJ’s Coffee, 106 W. Main, and stealing cookies.
Police said the burglary was captured on surveillance video, and while reviewing the footage, they recognized the boy, who had been arrested an hour earlier on an unrelated charge.
At approximately 7:21 a.m., police responded to a report of a person with a gun walking in the street near Mosby Park.
Police said they made contact with the person, who was identified as the teen, and took him into custody on a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct. They noted the boy had a gun in his possession.
A short time later, officers were called to PJ’s in reference to a burglary that had occurred there at approximately 5:30 a.m.
An employee said 18 cookies were stolen.
The boy was subsequently charged with commercial burglary, a felony.
Shooting
A 16-year-old boy told police he was injured in an alleged drive-by that shooting early Saturday morning in the 1300 block of West First.
The boy said he and a group of friends were sitting just outside the entrance of an apartment complex in the area when a black Chrysler 300 with black rims passed by.
He said one of the males inside the vehicle fired two shots at the group.
A witness said the group ran inside the apartment complex and hid behind a building.
The witness said the suspects drove inside the complex, turned around and fired a third shot at them as they left the area.
The witness said the third shot struck the victim in the foot.
The boy was transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas for treatment.
Police said the boy was not able to provide suspect information or a possible motive for the shooting.
Officers said they did not recover any spent shells from the area. Other people in the area told police that they did not hear any gunshots.
(News-Times reported Nathan Owens contributed to this story.)