Arrests made in deaths of 2 Polk County men
Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the March homicides of two Polk County, Tenn., men.
Valrie Ann Hart, 36, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on Tuesday afternoon in Longview, Texas, on a fugitive from justice warrant stemming from charges in Polk County, which include two counts of felony homicide, robbery, aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and theft, Assistant District Attorney Drew Robinson said Wednesday.
Robinson wouldn’t talk about details of how Hart was connected to the deaths of 52-yearold Larry Wayne Jeffries and 27-year-old Jeremy Walker. The victims were roommates who lived at a home on Amber Way in the Oldfort community in the south end of the county.
On Wednesday afternoon, the TBI added 20-year-old Ahren Presley to its Top 10 Most Wanted List, and by 5:30 p.m., the agency announced he was in custody, according to a news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. A reward of up to $2,500 had been offered for information leading to his arrest.
The TBI said the Polk County grand jury on Nov. 6 returned indictments for Presley, charging him with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and theft, two counts of especially aggravated robbery, two counts of felony murder robbery, and two counts of felony murder theft.
Crystal Dillard also was arrested in connection with the case, but no additional details were available.
Meanwhile, Robinson said Hart is awaiting extradition at the Gregg County (Texas) Jail, and it’s unknown whether she intends to fight the transfer to Tennessee.
Hart was taken into custody at a Texas home there, according to the Longview News-Journal. The Gregg County Organized Drug Enforcement Unit assisted federal authorities in the arrest.
A man at the same home also was arrested but his were local charges, according to the News-Journal.
At one point, investigators were looking for a black 2016 Toyota Rav4 found in Charleston, Tenn., not long after the discovery of the men’s bodies. The Toyota was thought to be a part of case evidence, authorities said in March.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.