Local parolee, 52, allegedly attempts to hit people with car

A local parolee was charged with assault Wednesday morning after allegedly trying to hit a man and woman twice with his car.

Chad Cameron

Jones, 52, who lists a Woodlawn Avenue address, was taken into custody shortly before 11 a.m. and charged with two felony counts of aggravated assault, punishable by up to six years in prison.

Jones was later released on a $5,000 bond and is set to appear May 27 in Garland County District Court. Jones was previously convicted on May 10, 2017, in Pulaski County on a felony kidnapping charge and sentenced to eight years in prison, but was later paroled.

According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before

9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a local man and woman stated they were at Super Bubbles car wash,

401 Higdon Ferry Road, when Jones pulled up in his 1999 Nissan Frontier and began yelling at them, so they started walking away.

They said they were walking across the parking lot of Metro by T-Mobile, 2916 Central Ave., and Jones followed them in his vehicle and attempted to strike both of them while continuing to yell at them. They said they walked north to the vacant lot next door, but Jones followed them again.

Jones allegedly chased the two victims westward back toward Higdon Ferry where they ran toward a large green trash dumpster as Jones attempted to hit them with his vehicle a second time. At that point, Jones got out and began to chase the male victim around the dumpster “swinging a stick.”

The man and woman were able to get away by fleeing south on Higdon Ferry, they said, as Jones got back in his car and began following them again. At that point, the woman ran east along Vineyard Street and the man ran back to the car wash at

401 Higdon Ferry.

Jones allegedly followed the man there, got out and chased him again on foot around the parking lot. The man was able to get away and made it back to T-Mobile where he found the female victim had run inside and called Hot Springs police.

Officers who arrived spoke to the couple and an employee of T-Mobile who stated she saw Jones try to hit the man and woman with his car in the parking lot earlier. She said she got into an argument with Jones when she told him to leave.

She said Jones left and she witnessed him driving to the vacant lot next door where he tried to hit the couple again.

Officer 1st Class Randy Rodgers located Jones in his vehicle at 200 Woodlawn Ave. and after speaking to the couple and the witness, Officer Landen Rossini and Officer 1st Class Mark Wilson went to that location and took Jones into custody.

When asked what happened, Jones reportedly admitted to following the man and woman, but denied trying to strike them with his vehicle.