August 20, 2023 At 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 19, 2023, Arkansas State Police Troop G took into custody Omar Pena-Romero, 23, after stopping him at the 4-mile marker on Interstate 30 in Texarkana, Arkansas. Pena-Romero was wanted by Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) in connection with the shooting of a Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) employee in downtown Little Rock.  The employee was shot in the parking lot of MEMS Station One on 7th Street around 5:30 p.m. She was transported to a Little Rock hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained in critical condition Sunday. After taking the suspect

August 16, 2023 During the Labor Day holiday period, including the end of summertime and the busy holiday weekend, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will be working alongside law enforcement in Arkansas to decrease impaired driving. From August 18 through September 4, Arkansas law enforcement will be participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over high-visibility enforcement campaign. During this time, you’ll see officers working together to take drunk drivers off the roads in support of law enforcement’s dedication to protecting the lives of residents in their communities. No matter how you plan

August 14, 2023 On August 8, 2023, Rodger Sorg, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in the August 2, 2023, death of 3-month-old Kyzer Fry. The Mansfield Police Department asked Arkansas State Police to investigate the death after they were called to a home on Huntington Avenue by the child’s mother, Samantha Dotson. Dotson told investigators that she discovered the child unresponsive when she returned home from work. Kyzer and two other children were in Sorg’s care.  Sorg is being held at the Scott County Detention Center. The post ARREST MADE IN SCOTT COUNTY CHILD DEATH appeared first on Arkansas

August 14, 2023 On August 10, 2023, Cheryl Delarosa was sentenced to six years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections and ordered to pay $501,000 in restitution to the City of Dierks by the Howard County Circuit Court.  In June, Delarosa pled guilty to Class B Felony Theft of Property and Class B Felony Abuse of Public Trust.  Delarosa is the former manager of the Dierks Water Department. The 9th West Judicial District Prosecutor asked Arkansas State Police to investigate in November 2020 after an audit revealed a misappropriation of funds in excess of $500,000 from 2015 through 2020.  The

August 11, 2023 The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety recently honored ASP Lieutenant Philip L. Hydron with the prestigious Franklin M. Kreml Leadership Award. The award was presented at the conclusion of a 10-week training program conducted by the School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC) in Nashville, TN. Lt. Hydron and ASP’s Lt. Aaron Easley graduated from the program, hosted by Belmont University. “The Kreml Award is given to the student who best displays the dedication, devotion, ethics, sense of justice, and other attributes that exemplify the kind of leadership that is needed in today’s law enforcement community,”

August 11, 2023 THE BIG HAT LAW IS BACK. Do you have what it takes to wear one? Preparations are underway for Troop School 2024-A, a 10-week certified officer school, scheduled to begin February 18.  Applicants must have completed a law enforcement academy and be off probation with their current agency by the training start date. Visit the ASP Recruitment Page for details on the application process. DEADLINE TO APPLY:September 17, 2023 – 11:59 p.m. The post 2024-A CERTIFIED TROOP SCHOOL ANNOUNCED appeared first on Arkansas Department of Public Safety.

August 9, 2023 Earlier today, the Osceola Police Department (OPD) asked Arkansas State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division to investigate an officer-involved shooting that occurred this morning outside a residence on Donaldson Street in Osceola. Keivion Jones, 33, of Osceola was pronounced dead at the scene. Neither the three officers present nor the three occupants of the home were injured. OPD officers arrived at the home at approximately 9:38 a.m. after locating a vehicle there that had been driven by a suspect who reportedly pointed a rifle at an employee of a local convenience store earlier in the morning. According to

August 1, 2023 Due to recent interest in a June 30th incident in which a Trooper performed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuver on a fleeing motorist, the Arkansas State Police (ASP) wishes to clarify details on the incident. “We stand by our Trooper,” said ASP Colonel Mike Hagar. “And we stand by the decision he made, considering the totality of the circumstances.” ASP was involved in only the final few seconds of the pursuit that Little Rock Police Department (LRPD) officers began. Before ASP engaged, LRPD had pursued the motorist for approximately 5 miles. During that time, the motorist

July 29, 2023 At approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, July 28, 2023, an Arkansas State Police (ASP) Trooper executed a Tactical Vehicle Intervention (TVI) maneuver to stop a fleeing suspect at the 283-mile marker of Interstate 40 East. Suspect Demarcus Clark, 32, of West Memphis died from injuries he sustained in the incident. Clark was endangering the lives of other motorists by exceeding 120 mph and driving recklessly. The Marion Police Department initiated the pursuit earlier in the evening and requested assistance from ASP after the suspect fled from a traffic stop. “As ASP Troopers, we take our duty to

July 28, 2023 Former West Fork Police Officer Chris Cordeiro, 34, was arrested Thursday and charged with Class A misdemeanor negligent homicide in connection with the Dec. 29, 2022, in-custody death of Michael Hanna. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office asked the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division to conduct an investigation into the death. The Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) is considering a request made by the West Fork Police Department to revoke Cordeiro’s certification, which would prevent him from law enforcement employment in Arkansas.  Both ASP and CLEST are part of the Department of