Alleged shoplifter arrested on felony drug charges
An alleged shoplifter was arrested on felony charges late Tuesday after drug paraphernalia was reportedly found in her purse.
Donna Lynn Allen, 47, who lists a Richard Street address, was taken into custody shortly after 9 p.m. and charged with four counts of posses- sion of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years in prison, and misdemeanor theft of property, punishable by up to one year in jail. She remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of $11,000 bond and is set to appear June 13 in Garland County District Court.
According to the affidavit, Hot Springs police Officer Thomas Plummer responded to Cash Saver, 800 Malvern Ave., at around 9 p.m. Tuesday regarding a shoplifting complaint and met with a security officer, who said Allen had been detained after allegedly concealing
$55 worth of packaged meats inside her purse.
The security officer said he observed Allen through store security cameras and then detained Allen. The purse with the allegedly stolen merchandise was left in a shopping cart nearby. When Plummer picked up one of the items, he noticed several syringes inside the purse.
A more thorough inventory of Allen’s purse reportedly revealed 10 depressed syringes with angled needle points, a makeshift smoking pipe with black burned residue, a container with trace residue of a white substance and a lighter with an altered ignition switch. In addition to the paraphernalia, a clear pill-shaped capsule containing an offwhite powdery substance was also located inside the purse.
Allen reportedly told Plummer she was watching the purse for a friend who had put the merchandise inside prior to asking her to watch it.
• A Hot Springs man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly punching two men during an altercation at a local hotel.
Mabry Stewart Guenther, 27, who lists his address as the Holiday Hotel,
642 Ouachita Ave., was taken into custody shortly after 6 p.m. at the hotel and charged with third-degree battery, a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail. He remained in custody Wednesday in lieu of $2,000 bond and is set to appear June 13 in district court.
According to the affidavit, police Officers Billy Perkins and
Rod West and Cpl. Lee Tillman responded to a disturbance at the hotel and made con- tact with one of the two victims, who said a known suspect, identified as Guenther, was standing in the hallway of the hotel talking to the other victim.
The victim said he walked up to the two and said “What’s up?” in passing, and Guenther turned to him and punched him in the back of his right shoulder as he walked by. Guenther then entered his room while calling him “a b - - - - .”
The second victim said he was standing outside the hotel when Guenther walked up to him and gave him a fist bump. He said that as Guenther walked past him, he punched him in the back of his right shoulder, continued into the hotel and went to his room.
Perkins made contact with Guenther in his room and he reportedly admitted to punching the first victim in the left shoulder because he had asked him if he wanted to buy some drugs. He denied punching the second victim.
Perkins said he observed marking on both of the victims’ right shoulders.