Parolee arrested, damages patrol unit on way to jail
A local felon on parole was arrested late Saturday after she was reportedly found passed out in a vehicle with drugs in her possession and faces an additional charge after allegedly damaging a police car while being transported to jail.
Autumn Dean Polston,
29, who lists a Glade Street address, was taken into custody around 10:30 p.m. and charged with felony counts of possession of meth with purpose to deliver, punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and possession of drug paraphernalia and first-degree criminal mischief, each punishable by up to six years.
Polston was being held on a $15,000 bond plus a parole hold and was set to appear Monday in Garland County District Court. Polston was previously convicted Dec. 12,
2017, and sentenced to 10 years in prison for residential burglary, reduced from an original charge of aggravated residential burglary, for her role in attacking and robbing a Texas couple at the Econo Lodge, 1204 Central Ave., on May 9, 2017.
According to the probable cause affidavit, around 10:15 p.m. Saturday, Hot Springs police Officer 1st Class Taylor Gates saw a white Toyota Avalon parked in front of Michael’s craft store, 1438 Higdon Ferry
Road, with the front and rear driver’s side doors standing open. He approached and saw a woman, later identified as Polston, lying in the back seat apparently unconscious.
He tried to awaken her using his loudspeaker at first and then his flashlight and finally roused her. Polston told him she had been “passed out” for a while after taking a Xanax and “didn’t know it had gotten dark outside.”
A computer check revealed she was a parolee with a search waiver on file so Gates told her he was going to search the car and she became upset. She told him if he searched the car he would be taking her to jail. Gates handcuffed her and put her in his unit while he searched the Avalon.
He reportedly located a zip-up bag in a backpack which contained three baggies of what later tested positive for meth, two with 4 grams and one with 2.9 grams for a total of 10.9 grams.
There were also 13 empty baggies, a glass pipe with residue and a set of digital scales “consistent with the production and distribution of illegal narcotics.”
While en route to the jail, Polston became “highly agitated” and after moving her handcuffs in front of her allegedly damaged the rear camera by pulling it away from where it was mounted and kicking it multiple times. She also kicked both rear doors multiple times and began pulling the wiring out of the ceiling causing “all of the lights” on Gates’ dashboard to stop functioning.
Once at the jail, Gates noted his rear driver’s side door had been bent and damaged so it would no longer open and the other rear door was also damaged. The damage to the camera and wiring was estimated at $500 and the damage to the doors was estimated at $1,250 for a total of $1,750.