Monticello Live

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Last Thursday, Drew County Sheriff Mark Gober and 10th Judicial Drug Task Force Special Agent John Carter arrested Keith Tenner, of Monticello, with a large amount of what appeared to be crack cocaine.

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Johnny Hayes pleaded “no contest” Friday to charges of Sexual Assault in the 4th Degree, stemming from multiple charges that were brought against him in 2005.

Hayes, age 36, was taken to the County Detention Facility, and sentenced to serve 6 years in the Arkansas Dept. of Corrections.

Darnell Crosswhite, of HWY 278 East, Monticello, was previously required to register as a “child sex offender” in a Mississippi court, according to court records.

Crosswhite went before the Drew County Circuit Court Tuesday morning, charged as a “sex offender working with children”.

Although the Prosecuting Attorney’s office had reportedly agreed to a plea bargain of 3 years probation, Circuit Judge Bynum Gibson refused to let that plea agreement stand, and sentenced Crosswhite to 1-6 years in the Dept. of Correction.

The Circuit Court will hold a hearing on Feb. 19 to determine exactly how long Crosswhite’s 1-6 sentence will be.

After his hearing Crosswhite was released on an earlier bond, but with the stipulation that if he is found in the company of any child under the age of 18, he will be arrested on a $20,000 bond, and brought before Judge Gibson, again.

The EZ Mart, located on HWY 425 south, was the location of an armed robbery, early Monday morning just before 4 a.m.

Reports indicate that the store’s security video camera shows a black male, approximately 5 foot, 10 inches tall, wearing a mask, armed with a shotgun appears to have been alone in the hold-up.

The robber arrived and fled on foot.

The investigation is being conducted by the Monticello Police Dept.

John Carter, shown here during an emergency drill a few months ago at Drew Central Schools, is an agent of the 10th Judicial District’s Drug Task Force.

John began his law enforcement career with the Monticello Police Dept., where he remained for 4 years, until November of this year.  He had originally been a member for the Monticello Fire Dept. (he’s still a volunteer firefighter), and when Lt. Eddie Deaton suggested he become a member of the Police Auxiliary Unit, he soon became a full-time officer.

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Police investigators are looking at the possibility of additional victims in a sexual assault case after a Warren man was charged with sexual assault of a minor and reveals to police he works around children for a living.

The Department of Human Services and state police led Warren Police Department detectives to Ronnie Lopez.  Detectives have only a story from one child victim of alleged sexual abuse, but detectives say the background of Lopez, 35, could lead to more charges.

Lopez is free as of Wednesday night on $25,000 bail after being charged with sexual assault of a child under the age of 14.

“According to Mr. Lopez he does work around underage children and juveniles,” says detective Shaun Hildreth with Warren P.D.

Lopez told investigators he works at the Day Spring Behavioral Health Services in Monticello.  Police say it’s a center for troubled teens.

Reports indicate Lopez is a former employee of the Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home in Monticello.

For more information on this story, click here to go to the Fox 16 News site

As many drove by Monticello High School this morning something out of the ordinary was happening on school property. Unfortunately, the scene was all too familiar for the many public servants who took part in helping. An organized reenactment of a drunk driving accident was staged for high school students to observe, complete with rescue teams from the Fire Department, Police Department, State Police and ambulance service. A helicopter even landed to med-flight some of the victims.

Teresa Belew, Executive Director for the Arkansas Mothers Against Drunk Driving, visited from Little Rock and spoke to students. She related to the audience that a survey of the youth of Drew County reveals shocking facts. Twelve years of age is the age most reported for having a first taste of alcohol. Of young people who regulary drink alcohol, most say they began regular use at age fourteen. She also reported that in Arkansas alone, there are four to five people killed each week because of an alcohol related accident. Countless others are injured.

Steve Brantley, organizer of the reenactment today, has first-hand experience of an alochol related accident. Today, he shared his story with students of how his wife, Patricia Brantley, was killed in a collision with a drunk driver on June 21, 1996. It forever changed his life and the life of their four children. Steve is passionate about educating others about the dangers of drinking and driving and is very involved in the local chapter of MADD as coordinator for the county.