Monticello Live

In a joint press release by the Monticello Police Department and 10th District Prosecutors Office, a Pine Bluff man was found guilty last week by a Drew County jury of Manslaughter and Criminal Mischief 1st Degree after being arrested by MPD.

Jarvis Dillard, age 34, of Pine Bluff was arrested after recklessly driving his vehicle backwards through a local parking lot last year, damaging multiple vehicles and striking an elderly woman as she was loading groceries. The elderly lady succumbed to her injuries.

The jury found Dillard guilty of Manslaughter and Criminal Mischief 1st Degree and sentenced him to 30 years for the Manslaughter and 15 for Criminal Mischief. Dillard is currently serving a 20 year sentence for previous charges in another jurisdiction in conjunction with the sentence handed down by the jury last week.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy Prosector Frank Spain, who said “I’d like to thank the jury for their careful consideration of the evidence and the Monticello Police Department for their outstanding response and investigation into this matter”

Editor’s note: the sentences are all to set to run, consecutively, (back to back ) for a total of 65 years.

• On Wednesday, June 29, a revocation hearing was held for Jarvis Dillard, the McGehee man who was driving the car that killed Esther Hudson, on November 12, as she was loading groceries into her car on the Walmart parking lot.Circuit Judge Robert Gibson presided in the hearing, which was not a trial for Dillard, but rather a judicial decision on if he had forfeited his right to parole or continued suspended sentence, for felony crimes he had committed in Desha County in 2014/2015, by the reckless events that caused Mrs. Hudson‘s death.

  The hearing included showing the video of the events that took place on the parking lot, that day.

  A parole/probation officer was called to the stand to testify about Dillards urine test, that day. She explained that he tested positive for amphetamines, methamphetamines, and marijuana .  The defense pointed out that the crime labs test of the blood drawn at DMH only showed positive for weed.  That comparison was mentioned several times during the rest of the hearing.

  The state showed the interview with MPD Chief Jason Akers, talking with Dillard, shortly after the fatal crash, where he explained that he was going to Pine Bluff, but then corrected himself to say he was leaving Pine Bluff going back to McGehee.  Several other statements were corrected or changed during the interview, such as when Dillard began feeling lightheaded and dizzy, before parking on the parking lot.

  Video showed he remained there for approximately 2.75 minutes, before backing out, striking Mrs. Hudson and approximately five vehicles.

  Dillard told officers, and then repeated in court, that he felt better, and was backing out of the parking place, when a passing car honked at him.  He continued to explain that the sound caused him to panic, because he was lightheaded, and his foot was on the gas instead of the brake.  Dillard described this as, “I felt like I went into overdrive”

  A video was shown of the DTF drug recognition expert, James Slaughter interview with Dillard.  The officer performed multiple tests, and said Dillard seemed “too impaired to operate a vehicle, at that time, likely because survey CNS stimulant.”

  Dillard said, “I only slept a couple of hours, the night before,” and admitted that he had used meth and weed 2-4 days before the crash.  Dillard admitted that he had told people at the scene that he “was fine, just in shock.”.  “He said he felt dizzy,” Slaughter said, when Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain asked if his drowsiness could impair his driving ability. The officer answered, “Yes.”

  Dillard‘s public defender, Joe Mazzanti agreed that he smoked meth & weed, in recent days, but that the state didn’t prove he was reckless in his behavior.  Prosecutor Spain, replied, “Impaired or not, he was reckless.”
  

  The defense‘s case was primarily based on Dillard having a medical episode, of high blood pressure, that caused his lightheadedness and dizziness. The state argued this by asking if he had taken his blood pressure medication, that morning, to which he replied that he hadn’t. It was stated that Dillard had told the ambulance staff, “I don’t need a doctor, I just need to calm down,” while refusing medical treatment.

  Dillard was taken to Drew Memorial Hospital for a blood test for intoxicants.  It was pointed out that DMH records showed that Dillard didn’t ask for, or receive medical treatment for blood pressure, dizziness, or anything else, during that process.

  Dillard took the stand in his own defense, and his statements included:

  ”I pulled over, I sat there, and felt ok.”

  “When the lady honked her horn, I panicked.”

  “When I went to put car in drive, it was in reverse.  “When I hit the gas, I had like a paralysis, and blacked out.”

  ”It was like the car was malfunctioning, but it wasn’t, it was me. I panicked.”

  ”When I came to a stop, I didn’t know I’d hit anybody, I looked out the car and saw Mrs. Hudson.  I was too messed up to help anybody.”

  Before the defense rested their case, Dillard told Spain, “I wasn’t in my right state of mind.”  Spain quickly responded, “I agree, you weren’t in your right state of mind.”

  After the defense rested, Mazzanti asked for a directed verdict, since he felt the state had not proven its case that Dillard had been reckless. Judge Gibson replied, “I have video of an individual who pulled into a parking lot, didn’t get out, went to back out, punched it, and ran over another individual.”  “I’ve got drug screens & admissions of drug use.”  The motion for directed verdict was denied.

  ———————————

  When the state took over, Spain pointed out that Dillard has used the word, “incoherent,” earlier, describing his condition before backing out of the parking space.

  The state pointed out that his admission to using drugs is enough to revoke SIS, without the accident even having to be considered.

  Spain told the court that Dillard was “guilty of a new criminal charge,” whether he was reckless or negligent.”

  It was pointed out that one of the first witnesses to respond to the scene had made a statement about Dillard saying, “My sugar, my sugar!“ Dillard had told Akers during his interview that he wasn’t diabetic and wasn’t taking insulin.

  “I was just in shock, shows he didn’t have a medical issue.” – Spain

  The state also presented documentation that Dillard has at least six priors, similar to the multiple cases discussed today, from the state of Indiana.

  —————————

  Since Wednesday’s hearing was actually for revocation of Dillard suspended imposition of sentence from the Desha County cases, here’s the information of them.

  There are two separate cases, one from 2014, one from 2015.

  One conviction for commercial burglary, theft of property, and being felon in possession of a firearm.

  The other conviction was for two charges of commercial burglary and unauthorized use of property to commit a crime.

  His total sentence was 20 years for those previous convictions, where he was required to abide by certain rules to remain out of prison, until the end of his sentence.

  ————————

  After taking a few moments to review exhibits in the case, Judge Gibson returned to the bench with his verdict, saying:

  ”I saw the video and exhibits, and the state has met its burden of violating Mr. Dillards Suspended Imposition of Sentence.”

  ” It is undisputed he was using drugs.  He pulled into Walmart, set there for 2:45.  Mrs Hudson was putting her groceries in her car. He entered the lane, and a car honked at him.  He slammed on the gas, hit several cars, coming to a stop in basically the same spot he was parked in.”

  “Mrs. Hudson died from her injuries.”

  “The court believes Dillard was under influence of, or had been under influence of for so long, that it affected him, at the time.”

  “The urine screen shows he had recently used drugs.”

  The Court finds Mr. Dillard caused the death of Esther Hudson, as seen on video.”

  Judge Gibson then ruled that since Dillard has 10 years remaining on both of the 20 year sentences, that he should be sentenced to 10 years remaining in each case, to run consecutively.

  Note: This hearing was only for the revocation of the SIS. The actual trial, that was set for this week, was postponed postponed, due to a defense witness having Covid.

  That trial, charging Dillard with manslaughter and criminal mischief is still set to occur in the near future.

  Earlier this week, District Judge Bruce Anderson set a $40,000 bond for Jarvis Dillard, age 33 of Pine Bluff, who is charged with Manslaughter, DWI Drugs and Criminal Mischief, 2nd Degree for the Friday death of a Monticello lady (a pedestrian), who was killed when Dillard‘s car crashed into multiple vehicles on the Walmart parking lot.  A parole warrant was also served on Dillard, Which should keep him in jail, even if he is able to arrange bond.
  

  
  Manslaughter, DWI Drugs and Criminal Mischief, 2nd Degree. A parole warrant was also served.  According to Monticello Police Chief Jason Akers, a Pine Bluff man is facing felony charges in connection with a fatal vehicle accident that occurred Friday in the Wal-Mart Parking lot.

  According to Akers, Jarvis Dillard, age 33, of Pine Bluff was arrested by MPD after a vehicle he was operating collided with multiple other parked vehicles in the parking lot. The vehicle operated by Dillard also struck pedestrian in the parking lot who was near their vehicle, killing the pedestrian.

  Dillard was charged with Manslaughter, DWI Drugs and Criminal Mischief, 2nd Degree. A parole warrant was also served at the time of his arrest. Dillard is in the Drew County Jail awaiting a First Appearance and bond hearing.

  At 3 PM, Monticello Police and SEEMS responded to a report of an out-of-control vehicle at Walmart, crashing into multiple other vehicles, and striking a pedestrian, who was unloading her cart into her vehicle, on the Walmart parking lot.

  DCSO & MASI also responded.

  A Walmart customer, with medical training, perform CPR on the victim, until SEEMS arrived, and transported.

  More information will be posted when it becomes available.

 

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 12th, 2022 at 12:45 am and is filed under WRECKS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.