Jailers’ actions, policies under review after inmate dies

Shores was arrested Sept. 6 in Logan County and was being held in Fort Smith on charges of aggravated residential burglary, theft and theft by receiving. Charges also were pending in Logan County.

FORT SMITH — A man charged with burglarizing the home of a couple who were found dead in September died Thursday night in a hospital after Sebastian County jailers found him unresponsive in a cell with a plastic bag over his head.

Lewis Shores, 19, died about 9:30 p.m. Thursday at Baptist Health Hospital, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. His body was to be sent to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock for autopsy.

The Arkansas State Police has been called to investigate Shores’ death. The sheriff’s office is doing an internal investigation of jailers’ actions and procedures, sheriff’s Capt. Philip Pevehouse said Friday.

Shores was arrested Sept. 6 in Logan County and was being held in Fort Smith on charges of aggravated residential burglary, theft and theft by receiving. Charges also were pending in Logan County.

Sebastian County Prosecutor Daniel Shue announced Friday he was dismissing the charges against Shores because, with Shores’ death, there was no defendant to prosecute.

Shores was accused of being armed with a deadly weapon and breaking into the Fort Smith home of Jimmy Grubb, 81, and Norma Grubb, 79, at 7712 Hermitage Drive on Sept. 4.

Shores wasn’t charged with the deaths of the couple, who according to police reports suffered blunt force trauma on their heads.

Jailers found Shores unresponsive in an isolation cell about 2:15 p.m. Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office. Pevehouse said prisoners in isolation are scheduled to be checked every 15 minutes.

Jailers administered CPR before Emergency Medical Services took Shores to the hospital, formerly Sparks Regional Medical Center.

The sheriff’s office wouldn’t comment on how Shores obtained the plastic bag, saying the investigation into the death is in progress.

Sebastian County Circuit Court records show Shores was involuntarily committed to the State Hospital for 45 days in January and again in April for treatment of mental illness.

Petitions for his commitments said he had a history of cutting himself and of previous suicide attempts. He also had a history of drug abuse, hallucinations and paranoia.

Shores was arrested Sept. 6 in Booneville ending a manhunt after he fled from the scene of a traffic accident west of Booneville on Sept. 5. He was driving a pickup that

belonged to Jimmy Grubb.

At one point in the search for him, Shores fought with Logan County Sheriff Boyd Hicks, punching and choking him, and grabbing for Hicks’ gun before escaping into a thicket. Hicks injured his shoulder as he dove at Shores from a moving vehicle.

The body of Shores’ mother, Angela Shores, was found Sept. 10 burned beyond recognition in an apartment fire in south Fort Smith. She and her son lived in the apartment, from which she had been evicted.

Police had been searching for Angela Shores since Sept. 5, when they tried to contact her concerning the arrest of her son in the Grubbs’ case.

No charges have been filed in the death of Angela Shores.