Destiny Burkhart, 21, of Fort Smith was cited on Tuesday, June 23, for leaving the scene of an accident. The accident occurred on Grove Street, near the Middle School, in Mansfield on Monday night, June 22.
Burkhart reported to the Mansfield Police Department that she had looked down to get a drink, and struck an electric pole. Mansfield Police Chief Wayne Robb stated that Burkhart was “scared, and left the scene.”
The department made contact with Burkhart, and on Tuesday, she reported to the station.
The vehicle Burkhart was driving, a Toyota Tundra pickup, sustained extensive damage to the front passenger side, and windshield.
The Arkansas State Police has opened a criminal case file and is investigating an incident that occurred Monday, June 22, 2020 at 13405 Wildwood Cutoff Road near Mansfield.
During the course of an altercation involving Gerald Schlinker, 49, who was residing at the home on Wildwood Cutoff Road, Schlinker was reportedly struck by a moving vehicle. He was transported to a Fayetteville hospital but died on Wednesday, June 24.
The suspect, Gary Parish, 39, was taken into custody, but has since been released on his own recognizance. The case remains active, and under investigation by the ASP.
Gary Parish (photo courtesy of the Scott County Sheriff’s Office)
Three grants just announced by the Arkansas Natural Resources Division of the Department of Agriculture enhance the ground-breaking work of Sebastian County Conservation District in developing an accelerating conservation effects in the West Border County partnership of Sebastian, Crawford and Scott Counties; Scott is known as Poteau River Conservation District.
Awards totaling $38,600 were announced by Ryan Benefield, Deputy Director of the Natural Resources Division.
A sensor device for aerial mapping grant makes possible state of the art mapping of agricultural projects of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) by providing funding for an infrared sensor for the District’s DJI Inspire 2 drone. Sebastian County flies a drone for a variety of conservation uses, such as verification of NRCS practices. The addition of infrared capability enhances significantly mapping capabilities for nutrient manage plans in protected watersheds.
A grant for pollinator seeding enables development of dozens of native pollinator patches to provide food for pollinators, such as the Monarch butterfly and honeybees, as well as for other beneficial insects. The pollinator patches, equaling in total about 100 acres of food sourcing, will be scattered through all three of the counties, Sebastian, Crawford and Scott.
A grant for an agricultural high tunnel provides a season-lengthening plant house for the Sebastian demonstration and production farm, Holland Oaks Farm, which is a key part of the District’s Urban Conservation endeavor.
“The District deeply appreciates the valued support of the Natural Resources Division in helping with these three ground-breaking projects,” said Conaly Bedell, Finance and Personnel Committee Chairman for the Sebastian County District.
According to a police report, on Monday, June 15, at 2:13 p.m., a Greenwood officer was dispatched to the Greenwood Walmart in reference to a shoplifting incident.
While en-route, the officer was informed that Walmart Employees had caught a group of individuals shoplifting, and attempted to stop them. Some, or all, of the subjects were fleeing from them. Upon arrival, the officer observed Walmart employees, two males, and a female standing in the fire lane in front of the store. Those employees pointed out two individuals in the parking lot. The officer moved toward them, and ordered them to his car.
The officer had the male place his hands on his car and attempted a pat down of his person. At the same time, another officer arrived and began to speak to and pat down the other male, identified as Cody Staggs of Sallisaw. The officer spoke to the employees, and in doing so, found that all of the individuals were in the store.
Then, suspect Wizdom McMurray of Waldron, became agitated, moving around and becoming loud. The officer instructed her several times to remain in front of the car.
Suspect Garry Smith of Waldron had a backpack on. Smith had alledgedly put merchandise in the backpack and left the store without paying for the merchandise. Employees informed the officers that prior to their arrival, another involved individual had went to the parking lot on foot and got into a grey Ford Focus. Officers checked the parking lot, found the vehicle, and the individual inside.
After gathering all the suspects at the front of the store, officers collected each individual’s information. Smith gave officers the name Dennis Smith and the birth date 2/14/88. Officers later found this to be incorrect. Smith would go on to give another name and multiple birth dates. Ultimately, he had to be finger printed to obtain his identity.
The other individuals were identified as Cody Staggs, Carlton Mathews of Waldron, and Wizdom McMurray. Dispatch located and confirmed a warrant for failure to appear, out of the City of Greenwood for Staggs’ arrest. They located and confirmed a warrant for absconding out of the Board of Parole for Mathews arrest. Smith was arrested for shoplifting and obstructing governmental operations. The suspects were transported to the Sebastian County Detention Center.
6/15 On Monday, June 15, at 2:13 p.m., a Greenwood Police Officer was dispatched to Walmart in reference to a shoplifting incident. While en-route, the officer was informed that Walmart Employees had caught a group of individuals shoplifting, and attempted to stop them. Some, or all, of the subjects were fleeing from them. Upon arrival, the officer observed Walmart employees, two males, and a female standing in the fire lane in front of the store. Those employees pointed out two individuals in the parking lot. The officer moved toward them, and ordered them to his car. The officer had the male place his hands on his car and attempted a pat down of his person. At the same time, another officer arrived and began to speak to and pat down the other male, identified as Cody Staggs of Sallisaw. The officer spoke to the employees, and in doing so, found that all of the individuals were in the store. Suspect Garry Smith of Waldron had a backpack on. Smith had put merchandise in the backpack and left the store without paying for the merchandise. Then, suspect Wizdom McMurray of Waldron, became agitated, moving around and becoming loud. The officer instructed her several times to remain in front of the car. Employees informed the officers that prior to their arrival, another involved individual had went to the parking lot on foot and got into a grey Ford Focus. Officers checked the parking lot, found the vehicle, and the individual inside. After gathering all the suspects at the front of the store, officers collected each individual’s information. Smith gave officers the name Dennis Smith and the birth date 2/14/88. Officers later found this to be incorrect. Smith would go on to give another name and multiple birth dates. Ultimately, he had to be finger printed to obtain his identity. The other individuals were identified as Cody Staggs, Carlton Mathews of Waldron, and Wizdom McMurray. Dispatch located and confirmed a warrant for failure to appear, out of the City of Greenwood for Staggs’ arrest. They located and confirmed a warrant for absconding out of the Board of Parole for Mathews arrest. Smith was arrested for shoplifting and obstructing governmental operations. The suspects were transported to the Sebastian County Detention Center.
With the new school year on the horizon, administrators at the Mansfield School District have been busy planning and prepping. This as a health pandemic brings the 2019-2020 school year to an unusual halt.
The Mansfield School Board approved a plan at their last meeting to implement a blended learning program. With this program, all class content will be available to students grades K-12. “No child will miss anything that happens in the classroom,” stated Mansfield Schools Superintendent Joe Staton.
Teachers and students will utilize classroom time to practice and prepare for at-home learning. This includes working remotely with technology so students can get assistance immediately. “We are doing this in case we have to pivot between in-home and in-classroom learning,” added Staton. “If the normal school process gets interrupted, we can pivot into an online virtual model.”
Simultaneously, according to Staton, the district is also preparing an exclusive online model. “Any student, home school or those who live outside the district can get an online education.” In fact, Staton added that the district has already added several homeschool students to the program.
The students who enroll in online education will have access to all the school resources, such as the library. Staton added that the virtual and online program will be supervised closely by the school counselor, principal, and Tina Smith, Director of Instruction and Federal Programs. The team of administrators will develop a plan so that students receive an education with the same accountability as those in the classroom. Students will have access to the tutoring program, homework hotline, and will be able to contact the teacher during classroom hours.
Members of the board approved the pre-purchase of 20 mobile hotspots from T-Mobile. The district is committed to ensuring that students have the tools, and means to access online learning.
“The blended program is a challenge, but it is good for the district,” Staton concluded.
If you have questions about the blended or online program, you can contact your child’s principal or the superintendent’s office after July 1.
If you have driven past the Charleston school district on Highway 22 lately, you have probably noticed construction taking place near the football stadium locker room and coaches offices. The new building is an indoor practice facility that includes artificial turf and batting cages to support the school’s football, baseball, and softball programs. The facility has the capability to serve many programs by providing a dry and climate controlled environment during inclement weather.
New Indoor Practice Facility Will Support Football, Baseball, and Softball Programs
In a recent interview with Charleston head football coach Ricky May, the Tigers head coach spoke about what an asset the new facility will be to his and other sports programs at Charleston high school. “It’s going to be really nice. It has a 50, 40, 30 (football field yard lines) and then it has some room on the other end. The biggest thing is, when they built it, Mr. Stubblefield had them put a lot of doors in it, and there are two big fans . And so, when it is 100 degrees outside, we can go inside and turn those fans on and open those doors and it will probably drop the temperature ten or fifteen degrees. And that is the biggest thing; that and when it is wet and stormy, we can be inside, as well. It is going to be big for us.”
Many Doors Allow for Cross Ventilation
Fans will Lower Temperatures on Hot Practice Days
The new artificial turf field inside the facility actually runs across the width of the building. To the casual observer, one might wonder why it does not run the length of the building. I asked Coach May this question, and he said, “Instead of running East to West, it runs North to South. The reason for this is so that we (the football team) would have the full width of the field and that we can run bubble screens, and any type of play that we want to practice from side-to-side. and that is why we installed it sideways. When I first heard I thought that it was silly, but now that I see the field, it is a whole lot better. We would not have had a full width of the field if it had been installed the other way. With us being a spread offense, we thought we needed a field that would allow us to line up right and all of that stuff.”
Width of Indoor Practice Facility Accommodates Spread Offensive Formations
The facility will allow the Tigers to practice indoors on turf for their home and away games that will be played on artificial turf, regardless of the weather conditions during the week. The program has also made plans to have a grass practice field for the weeks the Tigers will play away from home on grass fields. “Hopefully, when the building is completed, some of that grass (in the vicinity of the new building) will grow back where we need it to be. We will play a lot of games on grass; so if it is muddy and sloppy, we will have to find at least one day in the practice week where we can practice on grass. That will be either beside the building, or, we may go across the street to the park. We would need to do our team offense and defense preparation there and just get used to the muddy part (when preparing to play an away game on a muddy field).”
Possible Site Adjacent to Building for Grass Practice Field
Park Field as Possible Secondary Grass Practice Field Site
The building is not quite complete at the publication time, but is quickly nearing completion. “It is almost finished. They are just now installing the artificial turf. They are installing the rubber base to the turf. There are a couple of places that the painters need to touch up. They are going to pour some sidewalks around the building, as well. But, as far as it being good enough to get in, it should be ready today or Tuesday. That will be good.”
— Charleston Tiger Football (@tiger_fb) June 17, 2020
Photo Credit: Charleston Tigers Twitter Account
Charleston football players reported for summer practice approximately three weeks ago. “We have kind of used this as an acclamation period to get them back into shape; weight lifting, running, and that kind of deal. Hopefully, we are going to go full speed next week as far as getting back to lifting, and that type of thing. We are looking forward to that type of thing. I am hoping that they (Arkansas Activities Association) will extend what we can do when we get into July. Maybe at least get to do some seven-on-seven drills. We just don’t know yet.”
The new facility will not include a new weight room, and existing weight equipment will not be moved into the facility. The building will be used strictly for field work (team offense, defense, and scrimmage work) for the football program, and will have retractable batting cages for indoor batting practice for baseball and softball. “The just has one restroom and the rest will be used for field work. They are going to put up a couple of batting cages in there for baseball and softball to hit indoors, and they are going to be retractable so they can be pulled back. It looks huge right now because we haven’t been in it. So, hopefully, after we have been practicing in it, it will still seem huge.”
Space on Both Sides of Field
Facility Will Make Practices Possible on Inclement Weather Days
The original quote for the facility was approximately $1.5 million. But former Charleston superintendent, Jeff Stubblefield, sub-contacted each of the labor areas and reduced the cost to the district significantly. “Mr. Stubblefield said that if had not sub-contracted everything out, it probably would have been about $1.5 million or a little more. But, because he did the contracting out, he did a lot of work himself, we saved quite a bit of money.” I asked Coach May if there was any private money or donations in the funding of the facility, and Coach May said, “Not that I know of. But this project was in the works before I was hired as head football coach. They already had the plans and were just waiting to get started. So, to be honest, I really don’t know a lot about the building or its financing. I was just excited that we were getting it!”
The overall project may contain the ability to expand in the future to include new weight room space for the program. “It is possible that once we get the building finished, then what I remember is that they are considering expanding the field house out a little bit toward the road and maybe extend on to the current locker rooms and move the coaches offices into one of the locker rooms and then the current coaches office can be part of the weight room.”
The new indoor practice facility adds to an already very impressive collection of athletic facilities in the Charleston athletic department. Alumni Field is one of the best high school football stadiums in Arkansas; especially in Class 3A. Tiger Center, hosts of past state Class 3A championship playoffs, along with great baseball and softball complexes, sets Charleston apart with respect to its commitment to the support of its student-athletes. And now, the addition of a new indoor practice facility valued in excess of $1million has added to their commitment to their players. This commitment is something the citizens and alumni of Charleston can continue to be very proud of now and in the future.
Indoor Practice Facility is Located Southeast of Alumni Field and Adjacent to Present Locker Room and Coaches Office
Congratulations to the Charleston board of education, the administration, former superintendent Jeff Stubblefield, current superintendent Melissa Moore, and the great people of Charleston for making this project a reality for their school district and community.
On May 30, a Greenwood officer was dispatched to 220 W. Dogwood in reference to a vehicle being vandalized. The officer noticed a gold Grand Marquis with a bent license plate on the back, the side mirrors were detached and destroyed and the front windshield busted. The front windshield appeared to have the imprint of a baseball bat in it. The incident happened around 8:10 p.m., but the department was not notified until 15 minutes later and was unable to locate a suspect vehicle.
Owner/Publisher Jason Baggett is proud to announce the expansion of Resident News’ coverage in Greenwood. “As we’ve expanded, we have been looking to add qualified staff members to our team,” Baggett stated.
Lindsay LaChapelle will serve as a dedicated news reporter for Greenwood Resident. LaChapelle has a passion for the news, and a desire to share the good news happening within the community. “It is rare to find someone who has a heart for this business,” stated Editor Tammy Moore Teague.
LaChapelle and her husband of 13 years have three children, 12 year old twins and a nine year old. With her local roots, she is vested not only in the community, but also in the school district.
“I moved to Greenwood about two years ago,” stated LaChapelle. “I have family roots going back and forth from Fort Smith to Mansfield beginning in the 1800’s. I am now compiling historical research of the area for a future book.”
She has a diverse background in Anthropology, and obtained a degree in Cultural Anthropology from Arizona State University. She currently attends the University of Arkansas and is pursuing a degree in Archaeology.
“The Greenwood Resident will have up to date information on school events and happenings,” added LaChapelle. “While being new to the profession of news reporting, I am dedicated to providing fair and unbiased news.”
The Mansfield Police Department welcomes a new full-time officer, Devan Nichols, 27.
Nichols, a Waldron native, relocated to Mansfield in 2016. He and his wife of four years, Halley Hattabaugh-Nichols have four children. The family decided to move so their children could attend Mansfield Schools.
“I decided to go into law enforcement and contribute as a public servant to the great community of Mansfield,” shared Nichols. “It has always been a dream of mine to become a police officer and I’m very proud that I get the opportunity to chase this dream.”
Nichols will attend the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in September.
“I would like to thank Chief Robb, Mayor Black and the city council for this opportunity to pursue my dream of being a law enforcement officer,” added Nichols. “Also to my wife Haley for standing beside me through this transition in our life. And last, but not least, the citizens of the great city of Mansfield for being so welcoming to me from the start. It’s an honor to protect and serve.”
