Man held in home burglary of couple

FORT SMITH — A man who was involuntarily committed for mental illness treatment twice this year was charged Thursday with burglarizing the home of an elderly couple found dead on Tuesday.

Lewis Coleman Shores, 19, was charged in Sebastian County Circuit Court with aggravated residential burglary and theft of more than $5,000. The charge accused him of being armed with a deadly weapon and breaking into the home of Jimmy Grubb, 81, and Norma Grubb, 79, at 7712 Hermitage Drive on Tuesday.

“Physical evidence at the scene (Hermitage) was linked to Shores,” a portion of the affidavit said.

Aggravated residential burglary is a Class Y felony that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutor Daniel Shue said in a news release Shores will be arraigned on the charges in Circuit Court on Wednesday. Shores’ bond was set at $200,000. He was booked into the Sebastian County jail Thursday morning.

Shores wasn’t charged Thursday with the deaths of the couple, who a police affidavit said suffered bluntforce trauma to the head. Shue said the investigation was ongoing.

Circuit Court records also showed Shores was involuntarily committed to the Arkansas State Hospital for 45 days in January and again in April for treatment for mental illness.

On Jan. 23, Shores’ uncle, Robert Lewis, filed a petition in Circuit Court for involuntary commitment. The petition said Shores went to Mercy Hospital Fort Smith emergency room after cutting his hands. It was recommended at the hospital he receive in-patient mental health treatment in Hot Springs but before he could be transported, he “eloped from the hospital.”

The petition said he had a history of drug abuse, has hallucinations and paranoia. He previously was committed

for mental health treatment Oct. 26 and Nov 22.

On April 12, the nurse at the Sebastian County jail filed a petition in Circuit Court for Shores to be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment.

Shores “has history of cutting self and has previous suicide attempts. He is not oriented to person, place and time. The respondent is a danger to himself and others. He has swung on a deputy while being in custody,” the petition said.

Also Thursday, Fort Smith

police put out a request for help in finding Shores’ mother, 43-year-old Angela Shores, who is believed to suffer from a mental disability.

The news release described her as missing and endangered but Cpl. Anthony Rice, police spokesman, said there’s no evidence she has been harmed.

Investigators had been trying unsuccessfully to contact her to talk about the murder investigation, the release said.

Lewis Shores was arrested Wednesday night in Booneville after a manhunt involving about 30 state, county and local law enforcement officers.

Authorities were looking

for Shores in Booneville after the 2003 Dodge pickup belonging to Grubb was involved in a three-vehicle traffic accident Tuesday morning on Arkansas 10 just west of Booneville. Witnesses saw the driver of the pickup running from the scene carrying a red suitcase.

The driver was described as a white male, age 16 to 21, wearing a blue shirt, light colored shorts and red shoes. He left the suitcase behind a shed at a house a couple doors down from where the accident occurred and it was found by an Arkansas State Police trooper, Logan County Sheriff Boyd Hicks said.

Shores stole a bicycle after fleeing the scene, according to the Fort Smith police affidavit, and he later showed up at a friend’s home at 263 Venable St. in Booneville.

After receiving information Shores was at the home on Venable Street, Hicks set up surveillance on the house and pursued Shores in his vehicle when he saw Shores leaving. He stepped from the moving vehicle in an attempt to arrest Shores as he ran down the street.

Hicks injured his shoulder in making the leap and fought one-handed with Shores, who punched and tried to choke him and grabbed for his gun before running off into the woods.