Photo: Joseph Michael Verdusco
A Yellville man who has been in trouble both inside and outside jail walls for a number of years appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday, pled guilty to the charges against him and was given a 15-year prison sentence.
Twenty-eight-year-old Joseph Michael Verdusco had charges filed against him in both Baxter and Marion counties.
In late May last year, Verdusco was locked up in the Baxter County jail on a number of charges after trying to outrun the law on his motorcycle.
While in the Baxter County Detention Center, he picked up more charges in mid-July after being accused of participating with other inmates in beating a fellow prisoner.
Verdusco has had run-ins with the law in other counties in the area – including Marion and Stone.
At the time of the motorcycle incident in late May last year, Verdusco was on parole and being supervised by the Mountain Home office of Arkansas Community Corrections.
Verdusco was arrested after a Baxter County sheriff’s deputy was patrolling on State Highway 126 North between Gassville and Midway.
The deputy reported encountering a motorcycle and clocking it at 21 miles per hour over the posted speed limit.
Verdusco was later identified as the person on the cycle.
According to the probable cause affidavit, when the deputy attempted to stop the motorcycle, Verdusco accelerated.
During the chase, Verdusco’s motorcycle was traveling at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, according to the probable cause affidavit. In addition, the deputy reported Verdusco sped by an ambulance in a no passing zone and maneuvered in and out of traffic in a very dangerous way.
The pursuit came to and end when Verdusco attempted a left turn into a Gassville subdivision, lost control of the motorcycle and crashed.
He gave up at that point.
In late December last year, Verdusco was reported to have been a passenger in a vehicle stopped by police in Bull Shoals. His backpack was searched and a substance field testing positive for methamphetamine, a glass smoking pipe, a set of digital scales and $680 in cash were found.
On July 19, 2021 Verdusco managed to pick up more charges while locked up in the Baxter County Detention Center.
He was reported to have been involved with three other prisoners in allegedly beating a fellow inmate.
The four were in the victim’s cell for about two minutes before leaving. The victim was then seen stumbling out of the cell.
The victim was found to be bleeding from two places on the back of his head. As he was being treated by jail staff, he is reported to have gone into a seizure and was taken to Baxter Regional Medical Center by ambulance.
He was released back to the jail a few hours later.
The victim verified Verdusco and the three other identified suspects were the ones who had attacked him.
According to the probable cause affidavit, surveillance camera footage does show some of the incident in progress.
Charges stemming from the jail incident included third-degree battery, engaging in violent criminal group activity and impairing the operation of a vital public facility.
Verdusco’s Marion County charges include simultaneous possession of drugs and weapons and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The charges stem from a traffic stop in late December last year. Verdusco was a passenger in the vehicle.
When the vehicle was searched, Verdusco was found to have methamphetamine in a backpack, along with paraphernalia to ingest the drug and a 9mm pistol.
The simultaneous possession of drugs and weapons is the most serious classification of crime in Arkansas not punishable by death.
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