The office of Daniel Shue, the Sebastian County Prosecutor, issued a statement on Thursday afternoon following the death investigation of Roger Dale Robinson.
On November 26, 2019, Robinson, an inmate at the Sebastian County Detention Center, began having breathing issues and notified jailers by beating on his cell door. At approximately 2 a.m., Sebastian County Detention Center deputies responded and attempted medical intervention.
Robinson was transported to Baptist Health Hospital and at approximately 3 a.m., was pronounced dead.
“I have personally reviewed the entire Arkansas State Police investigation file, which includes interviews with the Detention Center staff, Sebastian County Sheriff deputies, inmates within the Sebastian County Detention Center, and the autopsy report before making this decision,” stated Shue. “It is the opinion of this office that no criminal charges can be filed against any person with regard to this death.
Robinson had been incarcerated at the SCDC since November 6, 2019, on charges of domestic battery in the third degree. While in the jail, Robinson had been receiving medical treatment.
The autopsy performed on December 1, 2019, ruled Robinson’s cause of death was “hemopericardium due to Acute Aortic Dissection due to Hypertensive Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease” with a contributory cause of “Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.” Robinson’s death was ruled as natural. “In layman’s terms, this is an accumulation of blood in the pericardial sac, which leads to reduced cardiac output. In turn, this was caused by a rupture of the aorta resulting in a sudden, unexpected death. Lastly, contributing to the death was Mr. Robinson’s high blood pressure and the plaque build-up in his arteries. Considering the totality of the circumstances and the applicable law, no criminal offense has been committed,” concluded Shue.
The Mansfield Sr High Lady Tigers have ended their 2019-2020 basketball season with a 6-18 total play record which was a “two win improvement from last year”, 2-12 in conference play, and a first-round bid in the Sr District Tournament. Coach Joshua Bryan gives us the rundown of the season. “Even though we didn’t increase in the win column as we wanted, we showed improvement in many areas this season. During the 2019-2020 season, we missed three wins by less than five points including a double-overtime loss at Cedarville. From where we were a year ago, that’s a nice leap forward from last season.”
#33 Amber Elmore
Proving that the Lady Tigers have grown in their outside scoring ability, the girls went from 41 made three-pointers in 2018 to 85 one season later. “We had four different Lady Tigers score over 100 points this season, and two of them had over 200. Another improvement was only having two girls score 100 points last season and one over 200. We scored just 45 points shy of 1000 points for the season, after only scoring 627 points last season.”
Danielle Lillie
Another area of improvement for the Lady Tigers was their ability to steal the ball. “We had a total of 240 steals for the season which was an increase of 91 from last year. Our greatest growth was something we stressed a lot during the season; rebounds. We rebounded much better this year, increasing our rebounding total for the season by 208 total rebounds from 2018. These areas of increase in a single season speak volumes about the hard work our Lady Tigers put in since last year. We will continue to grow and get better for the 2020-2021 season.”
Brooke Wright
Some stand out performances this season from the Sr Lady Tigers were: Brooke Wright who set the single-game record for blocked shots with seven in their game against Hackett. She ended the season with 33 blocked shots. Makayla Strutton ended with 233 points and 120 rebounds. Danielle Lillie tied the single-game record for steals in a game with nine against Hackett. She ended the season with 50 total steals and 243 points including 40 made three-pointers. Chloe Creekmore ended with 107 points and 106 rebounds. And Sadie Roberts ended with 71 deflections, 54 steals, and 145 points.
Makayla Strutton
The Lady Tigers will be moving to a new conference and division next season as they join the 2A with the following conference opponents: Lavaca, Acorn, Mountainburg, JC Westside, Magazine, and The Future School of Fort Smith. “We will be getting back to the grind with summer basketball as soon as possible. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the Lady Tigers this season!”
Behind a dominant third quarter explosion, the Charleston Lady Tiger defeated the Bergman Lady Panthers in the first round of the girls 3A-1 regional tournament held at Waldron High School. The Lady Tigers defeated Bergman 44-32, and in doing so, earned a birth in the Class 3A state tournament that will be held on their home floor next week. After leading 16-15 at the half, Charleston went on an 18-4 run in the third quarter to break the game open.
The game featured great defense by both teams. As has been the trend over the past few weeks, Charleston again started the game cold from the field, having difficulty getting shots to go down. At some points, it appeared that the Lady Tigers forced the ball inside when the opportunity was not there, and put itself in foul trouble with charging violations. The officials appeared to call the game close on the perimeter as the Lady Tigers guards were called for contact fouls as they played aggressively against the Bergman guards.
But has also been the case all season, the Lady Tigers have made great adjustments at the half and have gone on to shut down opposing teams’ offenses and go on big scoring runs in the third quarter to put their opponents away. Such was the case on Wednesday. Charleston outscored the Lady Panthers 18-4 to increase their lead to 34-19 by the end of the third quarter. The run forced Bergman to play extremely agressively on defense, taking chances to get themselves back into the game. Bergman had to foul to stop the clock, and Charleston took advantage by hitting their free throws. Bergman struggled from the field and seemingly could not get shots to go down, and the result was a 44-32 win for Charleston and a date on Friday with Valley Springs. Valley Springs defeated Waldron 73-31 in their first round game.
Valley Springs, the tournament’s other number one seed, is currently ranked #23 in Arkansas across all classifications, and #3 in the state in Class 3A. Friday’s game will feature #3 ranked Valley Springs versus #4 ranked Charleston. Both teams will play in the state tournament next week in Charleston, and both teams want to win this game to have the higher seed in next week’s state tournament. The outcome of this game could have a profound effect on the pathway to the state semifinal and a shot at playing in Hot Springs in the final.
For an updated regional tournament bracket, click here to be redirected to Max Preps to view or download a copy.
The Charleston boys open regional tournament play today at 5:30 p.m., also against Bergman. The Tigers are a #3 seed in the tournament, and the Panthers are a #2 seed. The winner of this game will play Elkins on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Elkins defeated Mountain View by the score of 59-31 on Wednesday. On the opposite side of the bracket, #1 seed Valley Springs defeated Greenland 69-48 and will await the winner of the #2 seed Waldron Bulldogs and Clinton. Waldron and Clinton play tonight at 8:30 p.m.
Charleston must win today against Bergman to secure a spot in the state tournament next week. A win today will set up an interesting match-up against Elkins who Charleston defeated early in the season, but has lost its last three to the Elks.
Click here to be redirected to Max Preps to view or download an updated copy of the boys Class 3A-1 regional bracket.
The Charleston boys and girls teams have had great seasons, and now they are playing for state championships. Both teams need Charleston fans to show up in big numbers in Waldron to cheer their team to victory. Both teams are capable of winning and going on to great heights next week. Bergman, over three hours away, brought a large contingent of fans to their game yesterday, and their boys team, a #2 seed in the tournament, is expected by their fans to do well in the regionals. I expect Bergman to again have another large crowd, and Charleston needs the same from its fan base.
Wow, if you weren’t there then you just missed out! Our growing political forum, Meet the Candidates, was an amazing success. In fact, we have already been asked about the next one!
This year’s forum was different from the one we hosted last year. We had a town hall style forum, co-hosted by the Arkansas Liberty Coalition.
It was so exciting to see members of the community come out and ask the hard hitting questions. One of the candidates for circuit judge stated, “…the evening was great. Tough group, yet informed and passionate. Honestly, that is the only way our system of government can succeed. Keep up the good work!”
The discussions were passionate and real. It was a great opportunity for community members to ask about issues important to them, and they did. Schools, taxes, Second Amendment, and the Constitution all dominated the afternoon meeting, which went well beyond its two hour allotment.
I want to thank the ALC again for their assistance, particularly Don Cloud Davis, who did a tremendous job moderating.
Also, I appreciate the candidates who took a few hours out of their busy schedules to attend our forum.
Attending candidates: Judge Emily White, candidate for Arkansas Court of Appeals; District 74 State Representative (I) Jon Eubanks, District 74 Representative candidates Curtis Varnell, and Shawn Bates; Scott County JP candidate Dee Parker; District 21 State Representative Marcus Richmond (I), District 21 State Representative candidate Jim Reynolds; Circuit Judge Division VI candidates Phil Milligan, Rita Howard Watkins, and Greg Magness; Circuit Judge Division VII candidate Dianna Ladd.
Candidates who either declined or did not respond to our invitation: Candidate for Arkansas Court of Appeals, Stephanie Potter Barrett; Scott County JP incumbent Bill Bates; Circuit Judge Division VII candidate Judge Sam Terry; Supreme Court Associate Justice, Position 4 candidate Barbara Womack Webb, and Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch.
Lastly, to the members of our community, thank you for showing up, for making your voice heard and for making a difference!
As most of you know, Resident Press does NOT endorse candidates. It is not our job to tell you who we think you should vote for. Our job is simply to provide a means for voters to educate themselves on the candidates and issues.
We will be providing election coverage on Tuesday, March 3, online, and also in next week’s newspaper!
Wanda Dean Maxell, age 87 of Cross Creek, Arkansas, went to be with her Lord and Savior on February 25, 2020.
She was a member of the Winfield Baptist Church, a homemaker who diligently worked beside her husband running their ranch, and retired from the Waldron Public School. Her greatest love, besides the love she had for her Lord and her family, was her love of gardening. You could always find her working in her garden or her flowerbeds.
She was preceded in death by her husband and childhood sweetheart, RC “Bo” Maxell, and her parents, Oscar and Elida Stringer.
Wanda was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to her family who will miss her tremendously. She is survived by her two daughters, Connie Sue Maxell of Waldron and Melitta Maxell McCorkle of Greenwood, Arkansas; two grandchildren, Elizabeth Dawn McCorkle of Greenwood, Arkansas and Christopher Dan McCorkle and wife Olivia of Brownsville, Tennessee and two great-grandchildren, Declan Christopher McCorkle and Eden Grace McCorkle.
Funeral service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, February 28, 2020 at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor William Crelia officiating; interment to follow at Sehorn Cemetery in Winfield, Arkansas. Arrangements are being entrusted to Heritage Memorial Funeral Home in Waldron, Arkansas.
Her pallbearers will be Scott Clemons, David Byford, Tony Suttles, Dan Ridenhour, Ron Hale, and Don Hambleton.
Visitation will be Thursday, February 27, 2020 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Heritage Memorial Funeral Home.
On a cold, gray, overcast day in February, passers by in the town of Paris could hear the crack of bats, players laughing, and parents having a good time as they cheered on their sons and daughters as they played the great sports of baseball and softball. The Paris Eagles baseball team and the Lady Eagles softball teams were at home in their ballparks on Tuesday playing preseason Blue / White intrasquad games. The Blue / White games were the final scrimmages of the preseason for both teams before they open their schedules next week.
As with the case of Major League baseball spring training every year, hope springs eternal as teams are optimistic about the upcoming seasons and are anxious to jump into their schedules and begin their quest for the coveted spots of regional tournament births that are the pathways to the state tournament and a possible state championship.
But as also the case with Major League baseball, only a few teams will actually make the playoffs and have the opportunities to compete for championships. Injuries, breaks in games that come at key moments, weather conditions, etc., can all have a significant effect on who actually makes the post-season tournaments.
Paris coach Josh Hart is optimistic about his team’s season going into next week. “We’ve got seven seniors this year. We return everybody. We’ve had a couple of younger kids come up, Mason Bradley being one of them; he is going to contribute this year. Mason plays shortstop, pitches, second base; I can pretty well move him anywhere I need him. He has good speed and can also play the outfield. All of our pitching staff from last year is back. So, pitching-wise, we have about eight or nine arms that are available and that I feel like I can go to in a game. From that standpoint we are pretty good. Senior Patrick Richardson will be available this year. He will be our catcher. We also have a returning outfield, so, we should have a pretty good chance of doing pretty good in conference.”
I asked Coach Hart if he felt the Eagles are a potential first, second, or third place team in the conference. Coach Hart responded, “I feel like we can be in the top four. Definitely want to make it to regionals this year; we were a little shy last year. So, I feel like what we have added, how much we have developed over the off season, I think we can do that.”
Tuesday’s scrimmage was a five inning game. “We ran it just like a season game. I split them up as evenly as I could. We gave our pitchers a limited amount of work, about 35 pitches each, just about like a bullpen session. I wanted to work some of our top pitchers who will be getting some starts.”
The Eagles open the season on Monday, March 2 at Dover. “We open at Dover as long as it is not rained out. We go to Scranton on Wednesday, and Friday will be our first conference game against Two Rivers here.” When asked who Coach Hart thought would be the top contenders in conference this season, he said, “Fountain Lake, Atkins, Perryville, and Lamar (in addition to Paris). Really, there are some there that we are going to have to beat them out (of playoff contention) that were in the top group of teams last year. Fountain Lake has as many returning players as we do. I think Atkins is returning several. I am pretty sure Lamar is returning their best player, but we had a close game with them last year. I feel like we should be able to beat them this year.”
Tuesday’s Blue / White game was the final dress rehearsal for the Eagles before the start of regular season play. “We lost a benefit game that was supposed to be held at Subiaco. So this has become our scrimmage game before the season starts.”
Lady Eagles coach Donald Hart was pleased overall with his team’s performance on Tuesday. “It’s good when you can get outside and get going. I thought both squads competed really well. We’ve got some that are new and don’t have much experience. They got a little bit of experience today and I thought there were some bright spots and some kids that surprised me. Our veterans came out and did what they were supposed to do. We’re not near mid-season form yet, but we’re getting close to being ready. Overall I was impressed with how we did.
Coach Hart divided his players as equally as possible to make the game competitive. “I did divide them equally the best I could. I did give a little bit more offense to the white team because I thought Jadyn (Hart) was a little bit better on the pitching end. Karsyn did a really good job; I think she got a little tired in the sixth inning, but other than that, she did a very good job.” When asked about how he managed his pitchers, Coach Hart said, “With girls, we just go until we can’t go anymore. I let the catchers call the pitches versus me; I’ll call them in a game. My rule is if they walk two in a row, I’m going to pull them. I managed it today just like it was a season game.”
Going into the season, Coach Hart believes his team will be near the top of the conference standings among schools competing for the regional tournament. “We should be there right at the top of our conference. We only lost three players from last year’s team, but they were three big seniors. We have some young talent, but we’re a little bit inexperienced. We’re going to have great pitching. It’s basically going to be how well we gel together. Right now, I’ve only got nine days with the entire squad, even though some of them have been working on it along with basketball. So, we’re not just going to jump out of the box into mid-season form. But I really feel like we should be competing for a conference title.”
The start to the season is just around the corner for the Lady Eagles. Paris will host Mansfield on Monday, March 2. “We host Mansfield here on Monday, and then we have two JV games next week; at Ft Smith Northside and at Greenwood.”
When asked about who Coach Hart believed were going to be the contenders in conference this year, Coach Hart responded that in addition to Paris, “Perryville is going to be tough; they have everybody back. Atkins is always tough. Booneville is improved, and I really feel like us and those three are going to be the four teams at the top, but you can’t take anyone for granted.”
The team should be a full strength on Monday to start the season. “We are going into the season healthy. We have some bumps and bruises from basketball season, but I have our pitchers and catchers running right now and we’re getting there. Hopefully we are going to stay healthy. We are going to work really hard over the next three days to get ready for Monday.”
The cool weather was not a factor for the team on Tuesday. Coach Hart believes in working in all types of conditions to prepare the team for any possibility during the season. “You just have to be able to play out in the elements. The mentality you have to have to play in conditions like today during the season is very important. We practiced Sunday for over two hours in a misty rain just because we may play in conditions like that during the season. The only thing that may change may be during the state tournament and if heat becomes a factor. Heat has an effect on players.”
Next week’s slate for the Eagles baseball team is a road game at Dover on March 2, followed by another road, non-conference game at Scranton on Wednesday, March 4. The Eagles first conference game will be held on Friday, March 6 versus Two Rivers at Paris City Park. The Lamar Warriors will come to Paris on Tuesday, March 10.
The Lady Eagles schedule for next week will include games with Mansfield at home on Monday, March 2. The home stand will continue when the Lady Eagles host Two Rivers on Thursday, March 6. It won’t get any easier for Paris when they host Lamar on Tuesday, March 10.
So, Paris fans, it looks like a great season ahead for both teams. Come out to the ballparks and support both of these teams as they compete this season to earn births in the post-season. And don’t forget your rain gear on Monday!
It may be hard to believe with temperatures in the 40s, rain, wet grounds, and basketball in post-season play, but today marks the beginning of the springs sports seasons at Paris High School. The Paris Eagles and Lady Eagles baseball and softball teams will play their pre-season blue / white intrasquad games today in Paris. The games are part of the final preparation for the official start of season games that will begin next week.
Baseball will begin today at City Park at 4 p.m. Softball will begin at their park at 4:30 p.m. Resident Press will be there to provide photos and highlights of both games in tomorrow afternoon’s edition of Resident Press.
Good luck to both teams as they begin their 2020 campaigns!
They might not have gotten the win in the semi-final round of District play against the Mountainburg Lady Dragons but the Hackett Sr High Lady Hornets still finished as winners. The Lady Hornets will go into 2A West Regional play with an 8-17 total play record. The Lady Hornets ended the District Tournament with a final score of 47-29 Mountainburg. “Rain Vaughn led us with 10 points followed by Madi Taylor with nine, Faith Thomas with six, and Autum Neal and Kayla Richardson had two points each,” said coach, Broc Adams.
“I was very impressed with the attitude they had all week, they weren’t scared of the competition. We just went out and played!” The Lady Hornets are gearing up to face the Flippin Lady Bobcats in the 2A West Regionals on Wednesday, February 26 at 4 p.m. in Eureka Springs. Flippin sits with a season record of 18-15 in the 2A-1 division. “Flippin is an extremely talented team. We lost to them earlier in the year, but we are playing much better basketball, so we are going up there with the mindset that we are going to compete! We want to control the things we can and see what happens. It’s a one-game season at this point and we are going to give it everything we have!” The winner of this game will go on to face either Mountainburg or Eureka Springs on Friday, February 28 at 4 p.m.
The #3 seeded Hackett Sr High Hornets made it to the semi-final round of the 2A-4 District Tournament to face the #2 seeded Hector Wildcats. Both teams hit the court hungry for a championship title and both teams were more than willing to fight for it. The game was all tied up with a few minutes left on the clock but unfortunately, Hector was able to pull away and come out on top with a 44-35 final score. “I am extremely proud of my guys! They played with so much grit and left zero gas in the tank.We were all square with Hector with 2:30 left to play and a couple of untuned turnovers were the difference in the game,” explained coach, Kent Elmore.
Zach Gragg led the Hornets with 13 points followed by Cash Oliver with 12, Dylan Kats with eight, and Jake Fisher with two. “The best thing about it is we still get to get after it and prepare for a regional tournament! The growth my guys have shown throughout the year is beyond words. I really felt like we played a great two games during district. I’m proud of my guys and really like our chances to advance in the regional tournament. My guys have proven that they will stick to a game plan no matter what it may be. We have a few days left to prepare and with my guys’ focus, we will be ready to play.”
The Hackett Hornets will face the Yellville Panthers in the 2A West Regional Tournament which is being held this year in Eureka Springs. The Hornets are going into regional play with a 9-15 season record and will be representing the 2A-4 district while the Panthers are 18-7 and going to bat for the 2A-1. This match-up will take place on Thursday, February 27 at 8:30 p.m. “The growth of our team since November has been a joy to watch. My guys don’t want the season to be over. That kind of buy-in goes a long way. Our goal is to win and advance! The Hornets will be ready for the battle!” The winner of this game will advance on to face either Lavaca or Decatur on Friday, February 28.
The Hackett Schools Gifted and Talented Education program was recently named the best program of its kind in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Governor’s Advisory Council for Gifted and Talented Education selected the Hackett School District to receive this year’s Act. 56 award for the most outstanding Gifted and Talented Education program in Arkansas in schools of less than 1000 students.
The award comes with $3000 to be used for the Gifted and Talented Education program at Hackett.
Hackett Gifted and Talented Education Coordinator Gayla Edwards accepted the award at the annual AGATE (Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education) conference awards luncheon in Hot Springs.
Edwards stated: “We have outstanding Gifted and Talented Education programs in our school districts across Arkansas. I am proud to teach Gifted and Talented Education in Arkansas, and honored to accept this award for the Hackett School District. This achievement is due to support from school administration, teachers, all staff, students, parents, and community members. Thank you for your support for our school!”
