Samantha Wilson (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)
A woman is accused of taking the Arkansas state flag and damaging a piece holding it on the flagpole at the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office. Thirty-five-year-old Samantha Wilson is currently in the Baxter County Detention Center being held on a bond of $2,140.
According to the incident report, a deputy was pulling into the sheriff’s patrol office just after 1 Wednesday morning, when he reportedly noticed flags were untied from the detention center’s flagpole and wrapped around the lights. As the deputy was fixing the flags, he heard noise from the patrol parking area and realized the main flagpole was also tampered with.
The deputy claims he then observed an individual walking away from the flagpole wrapped up in the state flag similar to a cape. The person stopped on command, turned around and walked toward the deputy. When asked by the deputy, the female stated she was doing nothing, and she was just mad. The deputy asked why she took the flag, and she stated, “I didn’t take it. I was just borrowing it.”
Other deputies, jailers and Mountain Home officers arrived on the scene. The responding deputy asked for the female’s identity, and she reportedly said, “Why? You know who I am.” After the deputy denied knowledge of her, the female stated her name was Samantha Wiggens, but was deemed to be false after it was run through dispatch.
The flag was retrieved, and the female was placed into custody. While being escorted to the detention center, the deputy could reportedly smell the odor of intoxicants. When asked if she had been drinking, the female stated, “Of course I have.” At first, she claimed to have consumed two beers, but she later said she had multiple beers and a large twisted tea.
While being booked, the female reportedly told a jailer her name was Samantha Larrison, but that name also proved to be false. Another officer brought the responding deputy the female’s identification from Missouri, and she was identified as Wilson.
The sheriff’s state flag is reportedly valued at $80. The metal piece holding it in place is no longer usable, and it will cost approximately $40 to replace.
Wilson is facing charges of disorderly conduct, theft of property, public intoxication, second-degree criminal mischief and two counts of obstructing governmmental operations.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI