Resident News Network

Arrest Reports 7/4

Police Reports

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5:44 pm

Arresting agency – Greenwood Police Department:
Robert Wayne Arendall of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 4 at 2 a.m. and released on legally sufficient bond July 4 at 10:40 a.m. Arendall was charged with driving while intoxicated – 2nd offense.

Brandon Edward Edwards of Hot Springs was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 7 at 9:45 a.m. and released on signature bond July 7 at 2:28 p.m. Edwards was charged with failure to appear – class B misdemeanor.

Modesto Vasquez of Loucibe, CO was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 4 at 6:43 p.m. and released on bond July 4 at 10:16 p.m. Vasquez was charged with possession of firearms by certain persons – prior violence-felon in possession.

Arresting agency – Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office:
Elizabeth Renae Barker of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 6 at 2:57 p.m. and released on signature bond July 6 at 6:18 p.m. Barker was charged with failure to appear – class B misdemeanor.

Misty Dawn Teague of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 7 at 2:55 p.m. and released on signature bond July 7 at 6:05 p.m. Teague was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a minor in the third degree.

Arresting agency – Arkansas Parole:
Damien DAllen Mcclain of Greenwood was booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on July 6 at 12:10 p.m. as an Act 570 prisoner with charges. Mcclain was charged with contempt-willful disobedience (failure to pay fine).

**The charges against those arrested are allegations and the cases are still pending in the courts.**

Sweepstakes Scammers Steal from Arkansans

News

Tammy Teague

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4:47 pm

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Arkansans who receive a notification that they have won a large sum of money or a luxury prize from a sweepstakes they do not remember entering should immediately realize that this is a scam. Scammers will claim consumers have to respond quickly or risk missing out on the prize. Then, the scam artists will continue to urge consumers to keep their winnings confidential to ‘maintain security’ or stop other people from getting the prize by mistake. Scammers, of course, do this to prevent consumers from seeking further information or advice from family, friends and law enforcement.

“My best friend’s mother lost her life savings when she shared her personal information with someone online,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I do not want anyone else to go through this horrible situation.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips to help consumers spot one of these scams:

Consumers should not try to collect winnings from a sweepstakes they do not remember entering.
Never give out personal financial information.
Do not pay money upfront in an attempt to claim a prize.
Always remember that if it looks or seems too good to be true, it most likely is.
Scammers often use the name of legitimate businesses, like Publishers Clearinghouse, or a similar name to trick consumers into turning over their information.

Consumers should ignore all unsolicited sweepstakes prizes and immediately contact the Attorney General’s Office to report the call or email. When money is wired, especially to a foreign country, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get it returned.

For more information and tips on how to avoid a scam, call the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at (800) 482-8982 or visit ArkansasAG.gov.

Speeding Drivers Warned, Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine

News

Tammy Teague

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3:27 pm

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Speeding Drivers Warned, Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine

Arkansas law enforcement officers have launched a speed enforcement blitz with additional patrols to stop speeding drivers. Operating under the tagline, “Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine”, state troopers, sheriff’s deputies and local police officers have committed to confront the safety threat caused by drivers who choose to ignore the posted speed limit on Arkansas highways and local streets.

Starting today and continuing through Sunday, July 18th, the intensified enforcement operation will involve law enforcement officers from state and local departments, big and small.

“Speeding violations across Arkansas have been trending upward over the past 18 months, correlating with an increase we’ve witnessed in total fatalities from motor vehicle crashes,” commented Colonel Bill Bryant, Director of the Arkansas State Police and the Governor’s Highway Safety Representative.

“When a driver increases the speed of a vehicle, it reduces the reaction time the driver has to safely react to unexpected hazards and too often the end result is serious injury or death to drivers and passengers,” Colonel Bryant said.

During calendar year 2019 the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) documented 26 percent of all traffic fatalities, or 132 lives lost, in speeding related crashes.
Nationally, about 15 percent of the speeding related fatalities occur on interstate highways annually.

Speed also affects safety even when a vehicle is being driven at the speed limit but too fast for road conditions, such as during bad weather, when a road is under repair or in an area at night that is not well lit.

NHTSA considers a crash to be speed related if a driver was charged with exceeding the posted speed limit or if the driver was driving too fast for conditions.

How To Check Your Home for Storm Damage

Lifestyle

Resident News Network

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2:56 pm

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As a homeowner, you already know how quickly small repairs around the house begin to add up. Because of this, severe storms can cause a lot of mental and financial stress; not only do you have to worry about potential damage to your house, but also keeping you and your family safe. Once the rain and winds subside, it’s important that you know how to check your home for storm damage.

Check the Roof

If you don’t have window access to your roof, you’ll need a ladder. Get up to the roof however you can to check for debris. Anywhere debris may be is an area you need to inspect, as remaining objects may be an indicator of a dent or hole in the roof. You may need to inspect your shingles, as damage may not be immediately apparent. Your shingles prevent water from getting into your home.

Check Exterior Walls

If you had heavy winds and hail, you need to take a look all around the exterior of your house for chipped paint and holes. While vinyl is generally a reliable material for the side of your home, hail can still do quite a bit of damage. Insulation damage is also possible with extreme rains consistent with hurricanes and can leave a large spiderweb-like series of cracks. This is a major part of knowing how to check your home for storm damage.

Check Your Windows

Leaks through windows are common. With harsh weather events, what may normally be a light draft or a small leak can quickly exacerbate and do some serious damage to your home. Check for wet spots on the floors beneath your windows and feel around to potential wet spots in the wall, as your insulation may be able to soak some of the water up. Fortunately, these repairs tend to be easier and less expensive to fix than other areas of potential damage.

Owning a home is a big part of the American dream. Everyone wants to be free from renting and have something they can call their own. Part of owning a home, though, is being responsible for it—so after a big storm, be sure you do everything you can to check it out and get minor repairs done as quickly as possible. It may be more than you’d like to spend, but it’s less than it will be if the damage goes unfixed!

Find Your Outside with the AGFC’s New Calendar of Events

Outdoors

Tammy Teague

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11:31 am

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Find Your Outside with the AGFC’s New Calendar of Events

By Randy Zellers Assistant Chief of Communications

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission offers hundreds of workshops and events throughout the year to help people get out and enjoy the outdoors to its fullest, and thanks to a newly redesigned calendar and event management system, finding one is as simple as scrolling through your phone or computer screen.

The AGFC has 10 nature centers and education centers spread throughout the state as well as a fully staffed shooting range in central Arkansas. Dozens of additional staff offer workshops in everything from swamp walks for turtle-watching to in-depth classes to teach landowners how to improve wildlife habitat and protect streams on their property as well. The agency even offers professional development courses for teachers to pass on the outdoors in disciplines ranging from science and mathematics to art and literature. The Outdoor Skills Network calendar helps make choosing from the myriad opportunities easier.

A calendar of events is nothing new for the AGFC’s website, but this latest version includes some features to make it much easier for people interested in the outdoors to stay on top of what’s available from the agency.

“All of our events were advertised before, but they may have appeared on a Facebook post, a flyer, in an email to previous workshop attendees or on a nature center’s individual web page,” Hollie Sanders, the AGFC Assistant Chief of Education who has led the effort to coordinate the events, said. “We will still continue to advertise in those ways, but we’re adding this one-stop shop. It will include all our events, no matter if it’s being done by a nature center or one of the many people from the agency’s Wildlife Management, Fisheries or Enforcement divisions who also host workshops or special events.”

Events appear in chronological order with the workshops occurring soonest placed at the front. They also can be filtered so the ones being held nearest your location appear first. Finally, you can choose specific event types from beginner workshops to advanced or choose professional development or landowner workshops to fine tune the application to suit your needs.

Some events, such as animal feedings at nature centers, may be open with no registration required, but others like hummingbird banding workshops or organized hunting and kayak trips may have limits on attendance. Registering for these events is as simple as clicking a button and entering your contact information.

“You’ll receive an email confirming your participation in the event,”Sanders said. “The event coordinator also can send more details about the event to participants, like what sort of clothes to wear, whether they should prepare to bring a lunch, and what experiences they may have in addition to what’s provided in the main event description.”

Sanders says participants also may be asked to fill out a quick survey about themselves before attending.

“The more we know about the audience, the more we can tailor the experience to match,” Sanders said. “It also gives us insight on how to better serve people and what they’re wanting from their outdoor experiences in the future.”

Even if an event has filled to capacity, Sanders encourages people to sign up for its wait list.

“That’s another new feature,” Sanders said. “If someone cancels, the calendar will automatically contact the next person in the waiting list to let them know a seat is available. After 24 hours, if it doesn’t receive a response it will send the opportunity to the next person in line until the event is fully booked. If we see that an event has a large wait list, we also know that we should schedule another like it, and we already have a group of people to send an email invitation to get registrations started.”

Much of the calendar’s structure is based on the popular Outdoor Skills Program developed in 2019 by the AGFC’s Education Division.

“The events are organized by skill level from beginner to expert,” Sanders said. “And we can help people track their progress through many outdoor skills disciplines and let them know about upcoming opportunities to develop as an outdoors enthusiast.”

Visit www.agfc.com/events to visit the Outdoor Skills network Calendar and find your outside today

A Twin Blessing

Networks

Tammy Teague

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11:24 am

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Like any other parents, Stanley and Kayla Cottrell were elated when they found out they were expecting a baby. Even more so when they found out they were having twins. Although it was an emotionally and physically difficult pregnancy, the twins, Hayes Valton Cottrell and Maeleigh Ann Cottrell have been a bundle of blessings.

Stanley and Kayla Cottrell, both age 37, were married on April 4, 2014, in Waldron, Arkansas. Nine months later, in January 2015, the couple found out they were expecting a baby. “In February 2015, at our 8-week visit, we were told we were expecting twins,” shared Kayla Cottrell. “We both were extremely shocked and happy. We were told that more than likely we couldn’t get pregnant due to my history of PCOS, and endometriosis without infertility medications. No infertility meds were used.”

Kayla Cottrell’s family was no stranger to twins. Her paternal grandfather was a fraternal twin, and her second cousin has identical twin girls.

At 20 weeks into the pregnancy, Kayla began having health problems. She was placed on bed rest due to placenta previa, low lying placenta. Her obstetrician, Dr. JeanMarie Householder, felt that due to her work as a nurse, it was best she be on bed rest. “Dr. Householder with Sparks Hospital is one of the many reasons we are where we are today,” Cottrell added.

At 31 weeks, Cottrell’s water broke, and on August 2, 2015, at 12:24 p.m. Hayes and Maeleigh were born. In a single minute, the lives of Stanley and Kayla changed forever. Born via an emergency C-section, the premature babies would require lengthy specialty care at Mercy Fort Smith NICU. Hayes was on a ventilator for seven days and stayed in the NICU for four weeks. Maeleigh had to be on oxygen and was in the NICU for six weeks. She was admitted back into the newborn infant intensive care after being diagnosed with sepsis. “We are so thankful for an amazing pediatrician who caught it quickly and saved our sweet girl’s life,” Cottrell added. “A difficult time for sure, lots of prayers were sent up for our babies…and we will forever be thankful. There is no doubt in our minds God is the reason our babies are here today. Two living miracles”

Cottrell recalled the moment they were able to hold their babies for the first time. “Stanley got to hold Maeleigh first at Mercy. I wasn’t able to hold her due to the increased stimuli, and we couldn’t hold Hayes till he was off the vent.”

Both babies needed special formula with extra calories to help them gain weight. Neither were exposed to the public until they were almost a year old due to RSV and flu season. “I feel I was a little overprotective of them, and maybe still am today,” Cottrell admitted.

The twins, who will turn six on August 2, spent a few years getting on the growth charts and developmentally were behind the normal full-term child learning to crawl, walk, and talk. You wouldn’t know that today, however. Both are caught up and have experienced growth by leaps and bounds. “Hayes suffers some asthma, but nothing as severe as it could have been. He loves helping his daddy on the farm, and anything to do with cows. Maeleigh is a sassy blonde-haired blue-eyed girl…both honestly haven’t stopped talking since they learned how!”

The proud mom credits her husband for his strength and support throughout the difficult journey, adding, “as a family, we are forever grateful to Ronald McDonald House for being our home away from home during the time we were there. We are also extremely thankful for Dr. Wilkinson for all he has done to get our kids where they are today and for listening to all our concerns. Most importantly, we are thankful for the many prayers everyone said for us.”

Hayes and Maeleigh will start kindergarten this fall at Waldron Elementary. The twins are involved in the Scott County 4-H and Maeleigh enjoys gymnastics. The family is actively involved with Waldron First Church of the Nazarene.

This family of four has held tight to their faith, and the twins are a reminder of God’s amazing grace!

Obituary – Debra “Debbie” Ann (Coleman) Freeby (1961-2021)

Obituaries

Tammy Teague

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4:59 pm

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Obituary – Debra “Debbie” Ann (Coleman) Freeby (1961-2021)

Debra Ann (Coleman) Freeby of Hartford, Arkansas went to be with her Lord and Savior, Saturday, July 10, 2021, with her loving family by her side in Hartford, Arkansas. Debbie was born September 17, 1961, in Nacogdoches, Texas. She was 59 years old.

Debbie was born and raised in Nacogdoches, Texas. She had an amazing relationship with her grandparents and learned many life lessons from them. Debbie was a fun-loving, kind, and compassionate person. This made her calling to be a nurse very fitting. However, when she became a hospice nurse, she was the gold standard. Her genuine love for her patients was immeasurable. As much as Debbie took pride in her job, her true love was that for her family and friends. Debbie always greeted everyone with an unforgettable smile and a warm welcome. To know her was to love her. She loved to laugh and have fun. She enjoyed her garden, traveling and she looked forward to her scuba diving trips.

Debbie leaves behind to cherish her memory, her adoring husband Robert (Bobby) of the home, her children: Jason Helm of Atlanta, Georgia, Stephanie Wood and husband Frank of Bentonville, Arkansas, Erica Matthieson and husband Pete of Perry, Oklahoma and Erin Freeby of Pennsylvania and her best friend of 20 years, Tracy Whitaker. Gigi will forever remain in the hearts of her grandchildren: Payton Rea, Jacob Rea, Lance McClung, Lilly Matthieson, Ryan Matthieson, Kayla Young, Seth Young, Peyton Wood, and Jordan Jones, her great-grandchildren, Addilyn Ratcliff, Aubrie Young, and SJ Young. Debbie will be missed by all that knew her and the many whose lives she impacted including a host of extended family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers she loved dearly.

Debbie was preceded in death by her mother, Shirley Ann Rogers, and grandparents Amos and Bennie Lee Rogers.

Debbie’s memorial life celebration will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 17, 2021, at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel in Waldron, Arkansas with Jon Hamby, Karen Gorham, and Todd Rowland officiating. Arrangements and cremation are being entrusted to the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.

You may leave words of comfort and remembrance for Debbie’s family by visiting: www.heritagememorialfh.com.

For those who want to attend the service but can not be in attendance, the funeral service will be live-streamed on our website.

Why do Lightning Bugs Light

Madison VanRavensway

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9:18 am

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A favorite childhood pastime of mine was catching lightning bugs. Summer nights were often joyously spent running around our front yard trying to capture the little bioluminescent bugs. I never recall asking why they lit up, I probably just felt that is what God made them to do and that was good enough for me. Having an inquisitive three year old means the longest, most detailed answer is always the preferred one.

After catching lightning bugs or fireflies one evening we began discussing why they light up. When I told him that’s how God made them it sufficed long enough for the walk back into the house, but then came more questions about why God would make them like that. From the show Wild Kratts I was already able to tell him they do it as a form of communicating, which worked for him, at least for now. I try to stay ahead of his questions and have answers rather than need to do research so I dove into more about our flickering friends.

Lightning bug and firefly are both rather odd names as they are a form of beetle rather than a bug. Who knew there was a difference! My research on what makes them different proved to be more tedious and detailed than I was prepared for. I read several articles and still do not understand what determines the difference. However, knowing they are a beetle and an insect should be enough. And at three I doubt my son is going to care that not all insects are bugs, as long as I don’t tell him.

How do lightning bugs (or should we be calling them lightning beetles?) make the light? Well they naturally have some chemicals in their abdomen, and they are able to regulate it by taking oxygen in to combine with the chemicals; thus creating the bioluminescent response.

Males from different species fly at different heights at different times of night, this allows the females of the same species to choose their mates. Their signal are unique to their kind further letting the females now they are alike. The females stay in vegetation or on the ground watching, they are able to flash their own light and the male will make its way over.

The length of time the beetles stay out depends on the species as well, some spend just 20 minutes a night flying and lighting up while others will remain out for hours.

With about 2,000 species of fireflies it is amazing that each has a light up pattern ingrained into them. Of course, different species live in different places, around 110 different species call Arkansas home. There are many fascinating patterns of light, including one species who’s female uses her light to attract males for prey.

To encourage lightning bugs to take up residence near you consider not using pesticides, planting native flowers and bushes, and leaving grass a little taller around the trees.

Whatever you call them, lightning bugs, fireflies, or Lampyridae beetles are sure to light up your summer nights and create memories to last a lifetime for your family.

Sr Bulldogs Football Has No Fences For 2021

Sports

Megan Hecox

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11:35 am

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Sr Bulldogs Football Has No Fences For 2021

The Waldron Sr Bulldogs football program took some shots over the past decade. With the program sitting at the bottom of the 4A-4, a change was made at the Top Dog position as the Bulldogs reached out to hire Doug Powell, former head football coach from Magazine. Some viewed a 4A school like Waldron dipping down to hire a 2A head coach as scraping the bottom of the barrel. The Bulldog faithful soon found out though that the bottom is where all of the good stuff is as Powell led Waldron past rivals, Mansfield, in a 41-0 blowout for the first time in over a decade along with close thrillers against conferences Mena, Pottsville, and Dardanelle.

Coach Powell’s review of his first year as a Bulldog was impressive, but Powell gives all credit to his players. “Overall we made progress as a program. We had some very talented seniors that made big plays for us. They helped us win convincingly, and compete to the end with our losses. Along with the Seniors, we had a young talented group. I feel that the underclassmen improved throughout the season, and will be the foundation for the season approaching”. With the Bulldogs finally gaining traction last season, all in the orange and black nation are eagerly looking forward to what “Doug’s Dogs” are going to do this season.

As Coach Powell mentioned, the 2020 underclassmen improved quite a bit as the season went on. That will be a huge bonus for Waldron in 2021. The Bulldogs will see eight returning starters on the field. Seven of those returning will be on the offensive side of the ball which will be a key point of emphasis in the stacked 4A-4. Impact players such as Blake Owens, Patrick Poor, Leo Lopez, Miguel Triana, Gabino Grano, along with brothers Trenton and Trevor Hunt will no doubt set quite a precedent when it comes to moving the ball downfield. “Our biggest strength is returning a competitive group of players with a season of experience to build upon as the practices begin. I believe we have an additional handful of players with promising potential that will emerge as summer closes out.” If there’s a kink in the Bulldogs chain it would be that Waldron’s physical size advantage from last season took a hit as many of their “Big Dogs” have graduated. Although it is hard to replace size, the Bulldogs have solid numbers that should help them tremendously with depth and fatigue.

The Bulldogs have the talent, the numbers, and the bite to back up their bark. One thing they also have that often gets forgotten is the leadership of a great coaching staff. Waldron has a top-tier assistant coaching staff that knows how to mold players into becoming their best on the field and off it. Assistant Coaches Mark Brigance, Garrett Lazenby, Robert Coker, and Chance Tanner are behind the scene cogs that keep the Bulldog dozer chugging along. Although Waldron did lose assistant coach Nick Stovall this offseason, they dipped back into the snake pit of Magazine by picking up Cory Chambers to be their new offensive coordinator.

“Our expectations this season is to be once again competitive. This season we are looking to find a way to win the close contest. We made a lot of plays to win last season but fell just a few plays short to win the close games. This season we want to make the plays necessary to accomplish our goals, for each game and the overall season. Last year the team gave us a solid foundation to build upon. We need to take advantage of the accomplishments made and the painful shortcomings. I feel that we have made gains in the offseason which should help us to accomplish more this season. Nothing will be given to us and we know that we must make it happen to advance the program forward. We are sitting in better overall shape than this time last year.”

Family of Scott County Man Honored with ASP Distinguished Service Award

Tammy Teague

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11:19 am

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Family of Scott County Man Honored with ASP Distinguished Service Award

On Friday, July 9, Arkansas State Police Troop H Captain Chris Goodman honored the family of an everyday hero, the late Noel Vincent.

Vincent, of Parks (Scott County) and Harry Rhoades, of Bluffton (Yell County), were awarded the ASP Distinguished Service Award for their heroic efforts on July 31, 2020, when they discovered a single-vehicle motor crash along Arkansas Highway 28, south of Waldron.

Upon the arrival of a state trooper at the crash scene, the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash was laying in the roadway.

The trooper soon learned the two men had stopped when they saw fire about to engulf the wrecked truck and its driver trapped inside.

In a statement given to the investigating trooper, the victim stated, “…the fire was creeping into the cab and I could feel the heat from the fire…the gentlemen came to my rescue and pulled me from the burning wreck.”

Both Rhoades and Vincent have been credited with saving the victim’s life.

Tragically, Noel Vincent, 60, and his wife Melinda Neil Vincent were killed in a motorcycle accident on Saturday, May 15, 2021, just months before receiving the ASP award. On Friday, the Vincent family was honored for their father’s heroic act.

“We need more people like him,” stated Captain Goodman. “These two gentlemen didn’t have to stop and help, but they did and they saved a life. We get people who call in, but not many people want to stop and take action. For that, we want to honor your father today.”

Vincent’s family, including his two sons, Ben Vincent of Mena, AR, Levi Vincent of Arlington, TN, daughter, Brittany Calvi of Royal, AR, and several of his grandchildren were in attendance for the presentation.

Scott County Judge James Forbes was also in attendance for the award presentation and stated “this is a wonderful example of the spirit of Scott County. To risk one’s life to save another is truly the definition of heroism...Seeing that your family is one of service, tells me where your heart is.“

Scott County Sheriff Randy Shores, who was unable to attend the ceremony, also extended his gratitude towards the Vincent family.

Noel Vincent is survived by his parents, Jack and Ruth Vincent of Oden, AR, siblings, Brenda Fryar of Oden, AR, Craig Vincent of Oden, AR, Carl Vincent of Hot Springs, AR, Cheryl Salmon of Waldron, AR, Sarah Husser of Oden, AR, and 22 grandchildren.

“It was truly an honor to be able to receive this award on behalf of my father and our entire family,” shared Ben Vincent. “My father has always been the kind of guy that would stop and help anyone in need and on that day it wasn’t any different for him. It didn’t matter if you were out of gas or if your truck was on fire, he was going to stop and help. He would be honored by this, but he would tell you that what he did was simply the right thing to do. We can only hope to see more people start to do the same of others in similar situations. Please don’t just call 911, if you are able, please help.”

**Editor’s note: I would like to extend my gratitude towards Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office Captain Philip Pevehouse, Arkansas State Police Major Jason Aaron, and Arkansas State Police Troop H Captain Chris Goodman for working so diligently to see that this award was presented to the Vincent family.**

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