Habitual offender sentenced to 5 years for theft of vehicle that led to manhunt
A habitual offender with 14 prior felony convictions was sentenced to five years in prison Monday after pleading guilty to stealing a local woman’s car last year, prompting a manhunt and school lockdown.
James Edward Grundon, 44, who has remained in custody since his arrest March 26,
2018, pleaded guilty in Garland County Circuit Court to a felony count of theft by receiving over $1,000, punishable by up to six years in prison, and was sentenced to five years with costs expunged for time served.
Grundon also admitted to his status as a habitual offender with prior convictions in 1996 for theft of property in Saline County and criminal attempt at theft in Pulaski County; in 2004 for two counts of possession of a controlled substance in Pulaski County and fleeing and theft by receiving in Saline County; in 2006 for two counts of possession of a controlled substance in Pulaski County; in 2007 for possession of a controlled substance and theft by receiving in Saline County and domestic battery in Pulaski County; and in
2009 for commercial burglary, criminal mischief and four counts of second-degree forgery, all in Saline County.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on March 26, around 6:15 a.m., a woman reported the theft of her 2004 Ford Explorer, valued at $4,500, from her residence on West Belding Street. She said she had started her vehicle to warm it up and left it with the keys in the ignition outside her home while she ran inside to retrieve some items.
She returned a few moments later and discovered her vehicle was gone. She said she began driving around in another vehicle looking for her Explorer and shortly before 8 a.m. she spotted it in the 1300 block of Malvern
Avenue being driven by an unknown man.
She followed the vehicle to the end of Halton Terrace where she saw the man exit the vehicle and run east behind a nearby residence.
Hot Springs police Cpl. Brandon Jones and his K-9 partner, Keena, and Cpl. Mike Hall responded to the scene and began tracking the suspect, later identified as Grundon, who was located in a wooded area in the 200 block of Ash Street and detained.
The victim was driven by the scene and identified Grundon as the man she had seen driving her vehicle who then fled. A secondary K-9 track was conducted to locate items missing from the vehicle and a plastic bag was located that contained several items the victim identified as belonging to her.
Langston Magnet School, located nearby at 120 Chestnut St., was briefly locked down during the search for the suspect.
Grundon was on parole at the time of his arrest and remained in custody. He pleaded not guilty to the charge on May 18, 2018, and his case had been continued multiple times before being set for trial today.