Woman caught driving stolen car arrested
A local woman was arrested late Thursday after she was reportedly caught driving a car reported stolen earlier.
Cynthia Deann Brown, 40, who lists an address of 115 Harrell St., was taken into custody shortly before midnight and charged with a felony count of theft by receiving more than $ 5,000, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
She was later released on $ 3,500 bond and is set to appear Feb. 18 in Garland County District Court.
According to reports, Hot Springs police Officer T. Tucker was patrolling on Spring Street when he saw a blue Subaru pull into the parking lot of the apartment complex at 720 Spring St. and recognized it as one fitting the description of a car reported stolen earlier.
He saw a white female exit the vehicle and walk into the courtyard of the complex, so he checked with dispatch and confirmed by the license plate it was the same vehicle.
He confronted the woman, later identified as Brown, in front of one of the apartments and asked if she lived there. She said she didn’t and that she was just visiting a friend, but only knew the friend’s first name.
She didn’t have a valid ID card, but identified herself as Brown and after being told the car was stolen was taken into custody without incident.
The report notes the value of the car was estimated at $ 14,000.
• An apparently homeless man already in jail on other charges was arrested again Thursday afternoon on a felony forgery count stemming from a stolen check he allegedly cashed.
Stephen Clifford Spell, 52, who told police he was living in his car at the time of his initial arrest Jan. 21, was booked around 4: 30 p. m. on a charge of second- degree forgery, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Spell, who was already being held on charges of theft of property and fraudulent use of a credit card, remained in custody Friday in lieu of bonds totaling $ 10,000 and is set to appear Feb. 25 in district court.
According to the affidavit, on Jan. 21, shortly before 4: 30 p. m., a local woman reported a theft of several items, including her checkbook, from her residence and she told police Spell, whom she knows, had been at her house that day asking her for money to buy a new truck.
She told him she didn’t have the money to give him but he was in her house for about 30 minutes before leaving.
Later that same day, the victim received a call from her bank, Bank of the Ozarks, asking is she had authorized a charge to her account for $ 330 and she told them she had not. It was later determined Spell had cashed a check for $ 330 made payable to him at the bank’s 1410 Albert Pike branch.
It was noted he used his photo ID when making the transaction and the bank employee later confirmed Spell was the one who cashed the check.