Gunfire strikes truck; local man arrested
A 34-year-old Hot Springs man was charged with four felony counts of aggravated assault after firing a weapon through the window of a residence at
123 Pinehill Road, striking a road contractor’s pickup truck parked along the roadway, Wednesday morning.
Robert Charles Bailey was also charged with a felony count of first-degree criminal mischief in relation to the incident, which caused traffic on Highway 7 south to be shut down for a short time Wednesday morning.
Bailey’s bond was set at $200,000, and he remained in custody Wednesday evening at the Garland County Detention Center.
The Garland County Sheriff’s Department said that it received a call at around 7:26 a.m. Wednesday of a man allegedly pointing a gun
at family members at the residence.
Deputies arrived at around 7:30 a.m., and were met by the suspect’s father outside of the residence. They were then able to get the mother to come out of the residence without incident, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Bailey “fired a weapon through the window of the house which struck an Arkansas Highway Department vehicle located on Pinehill,” the release said.
A spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Transportation said the vehicle that was struck by gunfire was not an ArDOT truck, but belonged to a contractor.
“A perimeter was established and deputies were able to call the suspect out of the house at which point he gave up and was taken into custody” at around 7:47 a.m. without incident, the release said.
“The suspect was transported to a local area hospital for evaluation, and once medically cleared he will be transported to the Garland County Detention Center. We are pleased to report that no one was injured during this incident. … ,” the release said.
A spokesman for the department said nearby Highway 7 south was shut down for a short time during the incident. The roadway is currently being widened to four travel lanes in that area.