Suspicious car near storage area leads to man’s arrest for fentanyl
A homeless man was allegedly found in possession of fentanyl after Hot Springs police investigated suspicious activity at a storage facility on Friday.
Hunter Lee Hollingsworth, 32, who lists “city streets” as his address, was taken into custody shortly before 6:30 p.m. and charged with possession of fentanyl, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Hollingsworth was later released on a $3,500 bond and is set to appear July 21 in Garland County District Court. According to court records, he was convicted of a felony count of theft by receiving over $5,000 on May 21, 2021, and sentenced to six years in prison, with all of it suspended. According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly after 6 p.m., police were dispatched to Mall Mini-Storage, 2245 Higdon Ferry Road, regarding a suspicious person on the property.
The caller told officers suspects in a black Maxima “appeared to be casing the units.” The caller noted there was a recent break-in to one of his units there.
Officers arrived and saw the 2012 Maxima leaving the area and noted the license plate had been reported stolen on April 22. They made a traffic stop on the vehicle on Lookout Point Road.
The front seat passenger was identified as Hollingsworth who showed to be on active probation with a search waiver on file so they searched him. Officers reportedly located a small glass container with a white powdery substance.
Hollingsworth allegedly told officers the powder was fentanyl and he “would have just eaten it or thrown it away” but he forgot it was in his shorts.
Fentanyl is a “powerful synthetic opioid reportedly 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine,” according to a DEA website.