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THREE WH RESIDENTS ARRESTED IN BURGLARY

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, October 9, 2009 11:49 PM CDT

An hour after three White Hall residents left White Hall city court, they were arrested and accused of burglarizing a house on Gamble Road.

During a court hearing Friday, Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr. ruled prosecutors had probable cause to charge Layla Hutson, 18, Seth Sanders, 19, and Casey Hartley, 20, with residential burglary and theft of property, based on testimony from White Hall Police Sgt. Paul Brown.

Because Sanders and Hartley are both on probation, the judge also said they could be charged with being felons in possession of firearms.

Burglary in progress

Brown told Deputy Prosecutor Cymber Gieringer he and several other officers were leaving city court when they received a 9-1-1 call reporting a burglary in progress at a house in the 900 block of Gamble Road. They arrived at the house within about two minutes.

Two witnesses told Officer Bo Hudson that they saw two males leave the house and go into a wooded area near Dollarway Road then get into a silver GMC pickup and drive down Dollarway Road.

Brown said the witnesses gave officers a clothing description and he and Officer Roger Rogers had seen Sanders and Hartley in city court and the clothing descriptions matched the clothes Sanders and Hartley had been wearing.

A radio alert was broadcast by police to watch for the silver GMC, Sanders and Hartley.

Brown said Officer Bryan Hornsby saw the truck at a service station on the Martha Mitchell Expressway, pulled in behind it and after Pine Bluff officers arrived to assist, arrested Sanders, Hartley and Hutson, who was driving.

The owner of the house reported that a camera, jewelry, two .22-caliber pistols and other items were taken and Brown said Hornsby saw a pistol on the truck’s seat and found the other items, reportedly stolen, under the seat.

Brown said Sanders, Hartley and Hutson were taken to the White Hall Police Department for questioning and the witnesses drove through the police parking lot and identified Sanders and Hartley as the men they had seen leave the house and go into the woods.

Asked by the judge why they had been in court, Brown said Sanders and Hutson were there on traffic charges and Hartley on a theft of property charge.

Gieringer said Sanders is on probation in Pulaski County on theft of property charges, and Hartley is on probation in Jefferson County on a number of charges, and a petition has been filed to revoke that probation.

She also said Hartley and Hutson are half brother and sister.

Wyatt set a $5,000 bond for Hutson, who said she is in college, and a $25,000 bond for Sanders. Wyatt also instructed a probation officer in court Friday to notify Pulaski County about Sanders’ arrest.

Because the law requires it, he set a $100,000 bond for Hartley, but told him he would be held without bond until a hearing on revoking his probation is held.

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