Arkansas State Police crime releases for the week of April 18-25, 2024.
ARKANSAS STATE POLICE MAKE ARRESTS IN MARCH FATAL SHOOTING AT MARIANNA PARK
April 18, 2025
The Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrested two men in connection with a fatal shooting that occurred in Marianna on March 22, 2025.
On Thursday, April 17, 2025, Tyrese Mitchell, 21, and Derrick Morris, 27, were charged with First-Degree Murder.
Additionally, Morris was charged with Possession of Firearms by Certain Persons, and Mitchell was charged with Possession of a Machine Gun Device.The investigation was initiated at the request of the Marianna Police Department (MPD).
The incident took place at Atkins Park, where MPD officers responded to reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Earl Taylor, 52, lying on the ground next to his vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds.
Taylor was pronounced deceased at the scene.Mitchell and Morris are being held at Lee County Jail on $1 million bonds.
ASP ARRESTS WYNNE MAN IN 2024 SHOOTING OF BRINKLEY TEEN
April 18, 2025
BRINKLEY, Ark. — The Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) has made an arrest in an October 2024 shooting that injured a 15-year-old girl in Brinkley.
The teen sustained multiple gunshot wounds while in her home in the 300 block of North New York Street in Brinkley on October 13, 2024, around 8:15 p.m.
On Friday, April 11, 2025, Aaron Ishmon, 18, of Wynne, was arrested in Jonesboro and charged with committing a Terroristic Act and First-Degree Battery.The Brinkley Police Department requested the ASP CID to handle the investigation.
SUSPECT IN BULL SHOALS FATALITY FOUND DEAD AFTER MANHUNT
April 21, 2025
BULL SHOALS, Ark. — On Monday, April 21, 2025, at approximately 6:30 a.m., the Bull Shoals Police Department (BPD) responded to reports of a shooting in the 500 block of Maple Avenue in Bull Shoals.Upon arrival, officers discovered Anita Suzanne Due, 48, inside her vehicle with a gunshot wound to the head.
Emergency medical personnel transported her to Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, where she later succumbed to her injuries. The BPD requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to help with the investigation.The primary suspect in the case was identified as Brooks Dean Due, 49, also of Bull Shoals.
He was wanted on charges of First-Degree Murder and Violating a Protection Order.Authorities from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Arkansas State Police, and the Bull Shoals Police coordinated efforts to locate Due, who was considered armed and dangerous.
The manhunt extended into Monday afternoon, focusing on areas in Marion and Baxter counties.Law enforcement officials located Due’s vehicle just south of Mountain Home. While tracking him, gunshots were heard. Brooks Due was subsequently found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
SUSPECT APPREHENDED
AFTER STANDOFF IN LITTLE ROCK
April 22, 2025
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Monday, April 21, 2025, members of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Task Force attempted to apprehend Gary Powell, 39, at the West Plaza Apartments in Southwest Little Rock. Powell was wanted for Felony Fleeing and two counts of Rape.After authorities confirmed that Powell was inside the residence, commands were issued for him to come out.
He did not respond and retreated further into the apartment. Officers heard a single gunshot coming from the room where he was located. The camera of a robot deployed into the apartment revealed that Powell was injured and sitting with a shotgun on the floor beside him. Powell exited the residence and was taken into custody.
Paramedics provided immediate medical assistance and transported Powell to UAMS for treatment of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.The USMS asked ASP’s Criminal Investigation Division to investigate the shooting.
ICAC TASK FORCE ARREST VIOLA MAN ON 10 COUNTS OF CSAM
April 23, 2025
VIOLA, Ark. — On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at approximately 6 a.m., Special Agents with the Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, assisted by Arkansas State Police Highway Patrol Troopers and the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at a residence on Longhorn Drive in Viola.
This warrant was the result of a cyber tip originating from a social media platform.
Skylar Crisp, 25, of Viola, was charged with 10 felony counts of Possession or Use of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and was booked into the Fulton County Detention Center.
BRADFORD MAN CHARGED
IN DECEMBER 2024 DEATH
April 24, 2025
Jarrett W. Cousins, 40, of Bradford, has been formally charged with First-Degree Murder in the December 2024 death of Clara Blaxton, 45, of Independence County.
Blaxton’s body was discovered in Cousins’ vehicle after a confrontation with police in Festus, Missouri, on December 8, 2024.The incident occurred around 11 a.m. at a White Castle restaurant in Festus, where local police responded to reports of an active shooter. Cousins, identified as the suspected shooter, had fled the scene and was stopped by law enforcement. He exited his vehicle and opened fire on the officers, who returned fire and struck him.
Upon searching his vehicle, officers found Blaxton deceased in the front passenger seat. The Jefferson County (Missouri) Sheriff's Department requested assistance from the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to investigate her death.CID Special Agents determined that Cousins had killed Blaxton in Arkansas. A Missouri medical examiner estimated that Blaxton had been dead for 24 to 48 hours prior to the shooting incident.Cousins' bond has been set at $1 million. Cousins was extradited from Missouri and is in custody at Ouachita River Correctional Unit in Malvern.
PROSECUTOR RULES OFFICERS JUSTIFIED IN FATAL SHOOTING
April 25, 2025
GILMORE, Ark. — Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood has determined that law enforcement officers were justified in the use of deadly force in connection with a March fatal shooting of a Jonesboro man.
On March 20, 2025, at around 9:40 p.m., suspect Joe Versie, 54, led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit from Poinsett County to Crittenden County. The incident began when the suspect fled from Poinsett County Sheriff’s (PCSO) deputies who attempted to conduct a traffic stop for reckless driving. Harrisburg Police (HPD) officers joined the pursuit before Arkansas State Police (ASP) assistance was requested.The Trooper ended the pursuit by employing a tactical vehicle intervention on Interstate 555 near the 3-mile marker. The suspect’s vehicle came to rest in the median and became engulfed in flames. As officers worked to extinguish the fire, the suspect remained in the vehicle, ignoring commands from officers to exit the vehicle.
Versie told officers he had a weapon. When he reached for a weapon, an ASP Trooper, PCSO and HPD officers discharged their service weapons, striking the suspect. He was pronounced dead at the scene.ASP Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Agents investigated the shooting and submitted a case file to the Crittenden County Prosecutor’s Office, who determined the use of deadly force was consistent with Arkansas law.
In a letter to ASP, dated Tuesday, April 22, 2025, Hagood wrote:“The officers involved were faced with a grave and imminent threat to their safety and the safety of others. Their decision to use deadly force was both reasonable and justified in the circumstances. It is a testament to their professionalism and bravery that, despite the grave danger, no officer was injured during this highly dangerous encounter. Officers not only acted in self-defense but also made concerted efforts to save Mr. Versie’s life, even while under threat.”
