DTF auction draws crowd, brings $140K
More than 50 vehicles seized under the authority of the state’s civil asset forfeiture law were auctioned for more than $140,000 Friday at the city of Hot Springs’ Bill Edwards Center.
Most of the proceeds will go to the
18th Judicial District East’s Civil Asset Forfeiture Fund, which supports the
18th Judicial District East Drug Task Force. The multiagency unit charged with interdicting illegal drug trafficking in Garland County is partially funded by property and money it seizes during drug arrests.
According to court records, ownership of most of the expropriated vehicles transferred to the Garland County prosecutor’s office by default, as the owners failed to file timely responses to the office’s forfeiture claims. Many of the owners weren’t the persons charged in the accompanying criminal cases.
The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2019 requires persons from whom property is seized be convicted of a felony related to the seizure before a forfeiture claim is granted. Courts can waive the requirement for numerous circumstances, including if the owner failed to file a timely response to the forfeiture claim or agreed in writing to their property being expropriated without an accompanying criminal conviction.
Vehicles auctioned Friday were sold as is, with only the titles guaranteed.
Cash was the only form of payment accepted, and vehicles had to be removed from the Edwards Center by 5 p.m. A long line of people was waiting to register and have their temperatures checked at 9 a.m., the scheduled start of the auction. The late-arriving crowd delayed the start by more than 30 minutes.
A 2010 Chevrolet Camaro garnered the highest bid, going for $8,500. According to court records, the owners weren’t driving the car when the drug task force took possession of it after the Arkansas State Police stopped Kenneth Jerome Henderson, 33, at the Red Roof Inn on East Grand Avenue in September.
Henderson fled the vehicle while it was moving, causing it to roll into a staircase. Officers found more than 800 ecstasy pills and 22.4 grams of marijuana in the car. Henderson was arrested on felony drug charges in October. The owners didn’t file a timely response to the forfeiture claim, transferring ownership to the prosecutor’s office.
A 2012 Camaro seized during a May arrest was auctioned for $8,000. According to court records, felony drug charges in the accompanying criminal case were withdrawn against the owner in January. The owner didn’t file a timely response to the civil claim, transferring ownership of the car and $2,680 seized during the arrest to the prosecutor’s office.
The 2010 Forrest River Wildwood fifth-wheel camper seized during an October 2019 arrest was auctioned for $7,200. The owners weren’t litigants in the accompanying criminal case but failed to file a timely response to the civil claim.
The 2004 Harley-Davidson XL1200 motorcycle seized in the February 2019 arrest of Robert Blackstead Jr., 55, was auctioned for $3,300. The 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe seized during the arrest sold for $750 and $2,200. The owners didn’t file a timely response to the civil claim.
Blackstead pleaded guilty in September 2019 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
A review of more than 170 forfeiture claims showed the drug task force has seized more than $250,000 since March 2018. Most of the claims were awarded by default judgments.
The following vehicles were auctioned Friday:
2012 Camaro — $8,000. 1987 Camaro — $3,250. 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche — $2,950.
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe — $3,400.
1998 Chevrolet Suburban — $1,700.
2002 Pontiac Grand Am — $950.
2011 Mercury Marquis — $4,000.
2007 Hyundai GSL — $650. 2010 Forrest River fifth-wheel camper — $7,200.
2002 Chevrolet Tahoe — $4,500.
2011 Ford Crown Victoria — $1,800.
2001 Ford Econoline van — $2,400.
2004 Lincoln Navigator — $1,650.
2004 Ford Expedition — $700. 2007 Dodge Charger — $3,600. 1991 Toyota SR5 — $3,000. 1999 Ford van — $1,000. 2004 Jeep Liberty — $1,200. 2001 Mazda Tribute — $350. 1995 Ford F-150 — $1,500. 1999 Yamaha X3A motorcycle — $700.
2000 Chevrolet Silverado — $3,500.
2010 Ford F-150 — $5,300.
1997 Ford F-150 — $900. 2000 Jeep Cherokee — $900. 2006 Honda Accord — $3,800. 2007 Ford F-150 — $6,000. 1995 Dodge Dakota — $400. 2006 Chevrolet Silverado diesel — $7,700.
2004 Nissan Maxima — $500. 2007 Mazda RX8 — $900. 2007 Ford F-150 King Ranch — $4,300.
2004 Ford Ranger — $2,600. 2001 Jeep Laredo — $1,700. 2004 Chevrolet Silverado — $2,400.
2000 Ford Mustang convertible — $500.
2005 Chrysler 300 — $3,500. 2000 Pontiac Booneville — $900.
2000 Toyota Tacoma — $600
2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee — $750.
2004 Harley-Davidson XL1200 — $3,300.
2003 Chevrolet Tahoe — $3,000.
2005 Chevrolet Malibu — $800. 2001 Dodge 250 — $2,150. 2010 Chevrolet Camaro — $8,500.
2004 Chevrolet Silverado — $3,500.
2005 Dodge Durango — $4,500. 2002 Chevrolet 2KH — $2,700. 1998 Plymouth Voyager — $600. 2001 Nissan Maxima — $1,600. 2006 Toyota Camry — $1,750.