01/04/17   Ouachita County Circuit Court

 

A 34 year old Camden man has been charged in Ouachita County Circuit Court with insurance fraud. The charges were filed December 27,  against Roderick J. Smith of Camden by deputy Prosecuting Attorney R. Jeffrey Sawyer. Smith is alleged to have committed insurance fraud by misrepresenting the facts in an insurance claim for payment. On September 15, Smith allegedly faked a slip and fall at Mac's Grocery Store in Camden. An EMT remembered Smith from a similar incident at Family Dollar. Ricky Blann, who was manager of the Mac's Grocery Store at the time showed Smith a video of the incident and Smith admitted staging the fall and said he didn't have the money to pay the hospital or ambulance bill and asked for a job.

On November 30, 22 year old Xavier Antwon Davis of Camden was pulled over by police for not displaying a license plate. The officer detected the odor of marijuana coming from Davis' vehicle and a search of Davis' vehicle by police revealed numerous individual baggies a jar and money in a back pack in the vehicle. Davis had $193.00 in cash that he claimed was his, but the report indicated the money located was in 5's , 10's and 20's, the common denomination used in drug dealing. Deputy prosecutor R. Jeffrey Sawyer filed charges December 27 against Davis charging him with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving without a vehicle license plate.

On December 27, deputy prosecutor Phillip A. Stone filed charges of aggravated assault on a family or household member by 46 year old Robert Israel Jr. According to the information filed in court, on November 30, the victim of the crime indicated that she and Israel had been drinking and began arguing about her coming home late from work. A child ran from the house while the two argued and the victim went after the child, then, according to the victim, Israel grabbed her and choked her to the extent she couldn't yell out and threatened to strike her with his fist.

Stone also filed charges on December 27,  against 35 year old Shermane R. Morehead of Camden. According to the information filed, Arkansas State Police and Arkansas Parole and Probation officers visited Morehead's home on December 6,  for a compliance check. Morehead is a registered sex offender on parole. Upon searching Morehead's residence the officers found a shotgun and two handguns, of which had the serial number filed off. Morehead cannot possess firearms since he's a convicted felon. He was  convicted in 2014 of second degree sexual assault and engaging a child in sexual explicit conduct for a period of 36 months, 3 years. He appeared in court December 7. His mother paid a $5,000.00 for his release. He was charged with two counts of possession of a firearm by a felon. His case was bound over to circuit court.