Felon caught with gun, drugs arrested by ACC on warrants
A local felon allegedly caught with a gun and drugs last month who fled from Hot Springs police was arrested on multiple felony warrants late Sunday by Arkansas Community Correction’s Special Response Team agents.
John Oscar Hibbs, 51, who lists a Christian Way address, was taken into custody around 10 p.m. at a residence in the 300 block of Lookout Point and charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a crime, punishable by up to 20 years, possession of
a firearm by certain persons, possession of a controlled substance, meth, and possession of drug paraphernalia, punishable by up to six years.
Hibbs, who was also arrested on misdemeanor charges of theft by receiving, possession of drug paraphernalia and obstructing government operations, was being held on a $ 100,000 bond and was set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Sept. 21, HSPD detectives went to a residence in the 2600 block of Spring Street for an investigation into possible stolen firearms and upon arrival saw a man, later identified as Hibbs, standing near a trailer hooked to a 2002 Cadillac Escalade.
When officers spoke to him, Hibbs initially gave them a false name and appeared “nervous and evasive.” A check of the Cadillac’s license plate showed it returned to a different vehicle. Hibbs became “increasingly nervous” as detectives moved to the front of the SUV to check the vehicle identification number.
Hibbs told them the SUV belonged to a friend, but he had been driving it. Suddenly, Hibbs fled on foot into the woods nearby. As he ran, he allegedly dropped a loaded .380 handgun and a cellphone.
It was later determined Hibbs had a warrant for a parole violation and numerous previous felony convictions including possession of a firearm by certain persons in 2013 and residential burglary in 2014 where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but later paroled.
The passenger side door of the SUV was open and in plain view detectives saw a holster consistent with the handgun that had been dropped and multiple items of drug paraphernalia associated with the use of meth and tools “consistent with theft and burglary.”
The Cadillac was towed to the police department where detectives obtained a search warrant for the interior. A license plate was found inside that had been reported stolen on May 28, 2020. Also found were digital scales with meth residue, multiple baggies, four syringes, including one loaded with 15 units of what later tested positive for meth, a clear water bong with “Rick and Morty” on it that had meth residue, two glass meth pipes, a marijuana grinder and a marijuana pipe.
After further investigation, warrants were later issued for Hibbs on multiple charges.