Michael Ransom Hobbs, II of Mountain Home has had a long list of criminal charges filed against him through the years, ranging from stealing concrete lawn ornaments to selling and possessing drugs.
Hobbs appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday and announced that he would be representing himself in his recent cases.
In the latest charges filed against the 32-year-old Hobbs he is accused of selling almost 27 grams of methamphetamine to a person working with law enforcement.
In other cases, Hobbs was charged with possessing methamphetamine, oxycodone and drug paraphernalia. He was arrested in July 2021 when found passed out in a vehicle at a Mountain Home apartment complex.
Police report the engine of Hobbs’ vehicle was running, the gear selector was in drive and Hobbs had his foot on the brake.
Officers and paramedics were able to wake Hobbs and he was told he was being arrested for public intoxication. Hobbs is reported to have admitted to police that he was too impaired to drive.
According to the probable cause affidavit in the case, officers found almost 100 grams of suspected methamphetamine in Hobbs’ car, along with 62 Oxycodone pills and a small quantity of marijuana.
Various items of paraphernalia used to ingest as well as to package drugs for sale were also in the vehicle.
The other case opened on Hobbs this year was also drug related.
Hobbs has made many appearances in circuit court. He showed up several times recently seeking to have property seized by Mountain Home police during one of his arrests returned to him.
During one trip to the court complex, Hobbs passed out. Video from security cameras in the building show Hobbs and his girlfriend sitting on a bench in the main entry hallway.
As Hobbs talked with his public defender, his head can be seen tilting forward as a female pats him. Law officers responded and put Hobbs on the floor where chest compressions were applied and Narcan administered.
Narcan is primarily used to treat people suspected of experiencing an opioid overdose. Opioids can slow or stop a person’s breathing, leading to death. Narcan helps the user wake up and keep breathing.
There was no official explanation for why Hobbs blacked out.
Hobbs has changed attorneys several times and represented himself as well. When he sent a “termination letter” to his public defender in late February, he said he would either hire a new attorney or represent himself.
HOBBS FILES MOTION TO DISMISS
On June 21, Hobbs did file a motion to dismiss his four state criminal cases, alleging that “the prosecution is this case is being funded by the State of Arkansas which creates a conflict of interest for the prosecution’s team, as they are all paid by the same entity seeking to convict the defendant.”
Hobbs also alleged that the arrangement, “creates a conflict of interest and violates the defendant’s due process rights and creates an appearance of impropriety and bias on the part of the prosecution.”
Hobbs’ motion to dismiss is likely to be dismissed by the court.
CIVIL SUIT FILED IN FEDERAL COURT
According to federal court records, Hobbs has also filed a suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas. Many individuals and entities were initially listed as defendants in the original suit.
The defendants/or entities included the Baxter County jail, Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge, Jailer Joe Willbanks, Deputy Public Defender James Wallace, jail employees Tabitha Maze and L. Powell, Mountain Home police officer Zachary Byrd and the City of Mountain Home.
On March 21, all the allegations in Hobbs’ federal lawsuit were dismissed — except the violation of his Fourth Amendment rights. The Fourth Amendment complaint will be considered at a later time, according to court document.
The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable search and seizure. Hobbs claims in his suit that MHPD Cpl. Zachary Byrd took a few items from him including money, his prescription medicines, a cellphone and a vehicle.
In addition to a dismissal of most of the complaints, all of the defendants except Byrd and the City of Mountain Home have been dropped from the suit by the court.
LAWN ORNAMENT THEFTS
One of Hobbs’ first charges stemmed from an out-of-the-ordinary series of thefts. In 2016, he was accused of stealing concrete lawn ornaments and selling them to a secondhand store in Gassville. The items stolen included bird baths, lawn jockeys, angles, a scarecrow, lions and a woman holding an urn.
The owner of the store told investigators all the items were purchased from Hobbs over a four-month period.
Reports of law ornament thefts came from people living in both Mountain Home and Baxter County.
Hobbs pled guilty to the charges stemming from the lawn ornament thefts in May 2017 and was sentenced to misdemeanor probation.
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