Local man sentenced to six years in prison
The first of two suspects arrested on multiple felony charges last year after Hot Springs police investigated what was reported as a kidnapping was sentenced to six years in prison Tuesday in Garland County
Circuit Court.
Demetrius Lamar Holmes, 20, a felon who has remained in custody in lieu of $35,000 bond since his arrest Dec. 9, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by certain persons, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft by receiving of a firearm and was sentenced to the maximum of six years on each count, all to run concurrently.
An additional felony count of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, punishable by up to life in prison, and two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver were withdrawn. His sentence is also to run concurrent with the revocation of his conviction in 2018 for felony fleeing where he was sentenced to probation.
Jessica Lee Brown, 30, who was arrested at the same time as Holmes and charged with two
counts of possession of a controlled substance with purpose to deliver, possession of drug paraphernalia and theft by receiving, is set to stand trial on Sept. 18 in circuit court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, on Dec. 9, shortly after 1:30 p.m., Officer 1st Class Brent Scrimshire and Officer Shawn Stone responded to Holmes’ then-residence on Lakeshore regarding a possible kidnapping.
A female caller stated she saw a black male driving a black 2006 Infiniti who forced a white female into his car and began hitting her in the 100 block of Lakeshore. The caller said she followed the vehicle to the Lakeshore residence and called police.
Stone made contact with the caller, who described the black male and noted he had taken the female inside the residence. Stone approached the house and noted there was a black Infiniti parked outside, still running. As he got closer, a man, identified as Holmes, stepped out into the carport. Moments later, a woman, identified as Brown, also stepped out.
Scrimshire asked Holmes what happened and he stated his brother was the one driving the Infiniti and that he was inside with his girlfriend. Officers entered the residence and made contact with Holmes’ brother outside his bedroom door. He was wearing only shorts and appeared to have been asleep.
The brother said Holmes had been driving the car and his girlfriend was asleep in their bed. Scrimshire checked and confirmed the brother’s girlfriend and an infant were sleeping in a bed in his bedroom.
As he left the residence, Scrimshire said he saw a pill bottle in Brown’s name beside the driver’s door of the Infiniti which was found to contain a powdered substance later determined to be crushed Xanax pills, approximately 2.9 grams.
Holmes’ brother came outside and walked to the passenger door of the Infiniti and tried to open it despite police telling him to back away. He got the door ajar and police “immediately detected an odor of marijuana” coming from the vehicle and found a firearm, a loaded 9-mm, in the front driver’s seat. The gun was determined to be stolen out of Little Rock.
The female caller was brought back to the scene and identified Holmes and Brown as the man and woman she had seen earlier and followed to the residence.