Homeless pair arrested on felonies
A Pearcy woman and Hot Springs man who claimed to be homeless were arrested early Tuesday on multiple felony charges after they were reportedly caught staying inside a vacant house with drugs and a gun.
Stephanie Miranda Cleveland, alias Stephanie Hall, 25, who listed a Pearcy address on her arrest report, and Armontie Jamaul Dickens, 31, who listed a Spring Street address, were both taken into custody shortly before
3 a.m. and each charged with simultaneous possession of drugs and a firearm, punishable by up to life in prison, possession of meth with purpose to deliver, residential burglary and unauthorized use of another person’s property to facilitate a crime, each punishable by up to 20 years, second-degree forgery, punishable by up to 10 years, and breaking or entering and two counts of possession of drug parapher
nalia, each punishable by up to six years.
They were both being held on zero bond and are set to appear today in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Garland County sheriff’s Cpl. Matthew Cogburn and Deputy Richard Garrett were dispatched to a residence in the 100 block of Shore Acres Drive, off Thornton Ferry Road, regarding suspicious activity.
A 911 caller stated she knew the house next to her was vacant but had seen lights on in the garage. The deputies arrived and began checking the residence and Cogburn noticed a broken window on the back porch and then heard movement inside the house.
All the doors were locked so the deputies couldn’t get in, but as they moved around to the front they noticed a white Saturn Outlook SUV parked in the garage. The witness noted there shouldn’t be any vehicles in the garage.
Cogburn heard movement from inside the garage and when Garrett shined his light inside they spotted a man, later identified as Dickens, and noted he appeared to be hiding something in the SUV.
He was ordered to come outside and complied and when asked if he was supposed to be there, he reportedly said, “No, but I am homeless and I just needed a place to sleep.” He reportedly admitted he had a pallet inside the house where he had been sleeping.
Dickens was taken into custody and secured in a sheriff’s unit while the deputies made entry into the house to clear it. They found the pallet in a room where the window was broken and found an eyeglass case next to the pallet that allegedly contained a glass pipe, tube and a baggie of a crystal- like substance.
They also found a folded piece of paper with a white powdery substance and a piece of plastic containing a larger crystal- like substance. There was also a plastic tray on the floor with a used syringe inside.
After clearing the house, the deputies checked the garage and the SUV and noticed a second person, later identified as
Cleveland, lying in the back seat. Cleveland initially stated she didn’t know where she was, but later reportedly admitted she and Dickens crawled into the back bedroom together and were staying there.
A Beretta .22-caliber handgun was reportedly located under the seat where Cleveland was lying and a counterfeit $100 bill was found in the front seat.
The real estate agent for the house came to the scene and was able to contact the owner of the home who is in Illinois. The owner confirmed no one should have been at the residence. It was also discovered a shed behind the house had been broken into and a lamp stored there had been brought inside the house.