Collision kills man, injures seven

A De Queen man died and seven other people were injured in a collision Friday night in Little River County, Arkansas State Police reported Saturday.

Jesus Fraier, 34, was northbound on Arkansas 71, south of Wilton, when a southbound 1998 GMC pickup crossed the centerline and hit Fraier’s 2011 Ford Focus, according to a preliminary state police report.

Fraier was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash by the county coroner.

Seven other people were injured, according to the state police report. It did not identify the injured, list which vehicle they were in or give any information on their conditions.

It was cloudy and roads were wet at the time of the crash, state police reported.

Fayetteville paid $210,800 in booking fees in 2017. The city takes about 3,400 people to the detention center each year, according to Fayetteville city officials.

Changing to a daily holding fee would cost the city about $255,000 each year.

Smaller cities do not pay any fee for the county to hold their prisoners. Fees would cost all the cities thousands. For instance, Prairie Grove would pay $29,000 per year, and Elm Springs would pay $26,400, according to the Sheriff’s Office projections.

“It definitely would take money from somewhere else,” Prairie Grove Mayor Sonny Hudson said.

The county has not contacted mayors about the possible fee changes. The Quorum Court must decide whether to contact them for a meeting, County Attorney Brian Lester said in email Friday.

Elm Springs Police Chief Jason Hiatt said most of the people his agency arrests are people who live outside his city. Crime is a countywide problem that should not single out cities for a fee, he said.

“Crime affects everybody on an equal level,” Hiatt said. “The cities, in general, are already paying, and the county has a constitutional obligation to house prisoners. That’s the role of government.”