Man arrested for allegedly brandishing gun at bar is later charged with felony theft
A Hot Springs man who was arrested on misdemeanor charges in September after allegedly brandishing a handgun at a local bar was arrested on a felony warrant Thursday after the gun was found to be stolen.
Brandon Matthew Sims, 21, who lists a Grove Street address, was taken into custody around 10:30 a.m. and charged with theft by receiving of a firearm, punishable by up to six years in prison.
Sims was being held on a $5,000 bond and was set to appear Friday in Garland County District Court. According to court records, Sims was previously arrested on Jan. 3 on a felony count of breaking or entering and is set to stand trial on that charge on Jan. 31, 2022, in Garland County Circuit Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit on the theft charge, on Sept. 24, shortly after 11:30 a.m., Hot Springs police responded to Maxine’s, 700 Central Ave., in reference to a man allegedly brandishing a firearm.
Officers spotted a man, later identified as Sims, who matched the description of the suspect, sitting on a bench outside the bar. A firearm, identified as a Ruger 9-mm semi-automatic pistol, was reportedly next to him on the bench.
Sims was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and carrying a weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Sept. 27 and was released on a $2,500 bond on Oct. 1. The case is still pending in district court.
An ATF trace was conducted on the firearm and on Oct. 29, police received the results, which showed the gun had been purchased in Little Rock on April 19, 2019. Police contacted the man who purchased it and he stated he had given the gun to another man who had told him the gun was stolen out of his truck on Sept. 20. The gun was not reported stolen at the time because they didn’t know the serial number.
That same day, police spoke to the man the gun was given to who reportedly confirmed the pistol was stolen out of the center console of his pickup truck sometime during the evening on Sept. 18.
A warrant was later issued for Sims’ arrest.