A rural Mountain Home man was set to go on trial this week, but chose to take a plea instead.
Forty-year-old Christopher Steven Alsup was facing prison time for a long list of probation violations, including not obeying a court by walking off from a drug rehabilitation program. In addition to revocation petitions being filed in two older cases, Alsup also had two recent cases that were Still active.
After pleading guilty, Alsup was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
SHANK FOR SANDWICH TRADE CASE DROPPED
In a case opened just last month while he was in jail on earlier charges, Alsup was accused of having a “shank” in his possession and trying to swap a peanut butter sandwich for giving up the homemade weapon. Video footage from surveillance cameras is reported to show Alsup working on the “shank” including sharpening the blade on a concrete floor and walls of the showers.
When the “shank” for sandwich trade didn’t work and jailers removed the weapon from the pod where Alsup was housed, Alsup is reported to have asked jail staff if there “was anything” they could do to help him with his new charge. He said if they agreed, he would turn over the leftover material he had from making the first weapon.
The second offer was rejected and detention center staff did a shakedown of the pod where Alsup was housed.
During the taking of his plea, the state announced it was dismissing the charges stemming from possession of the “shank.”
OTHER CASES
On August 5, 2022, the Baxter County Sheriff’s office received information that Alsup and a female were living in a camper trailer parked at an address along County Road 782. Both were said to have multiple active arrest warrants and being supervised by parole and probation officers. Officers from parole and probation and sheriff’s deputies went to the address and contacted the pair.
When checking the camper, officers found drugs, paraphernalia used to ingest drugs and a loaded handgun.
According to the probable cause affidavit, a white substance found in two small plastic bags tested positive for a mixture and Fentynal.
REFUSAL TO ABIDE BY COURT ORDERS
Alsup has had continuing problems with abiding by court orders, complying with the terms and conditions of probation and not showing up for scheduled court appearances.
The lengthy dockets in some of Alsup’s cases are liberally sprinkled with failure to appear warrants, bond revocations, failure to comply warrants being issued, and revocation petitions filed. The four cases currently opened or being reopened on Alsup contain a total of almost 300 docket entries. The Baxter County Sheriff’s electronic jail log shows Alsup has been booked into the detention center 41 times.
LEFT TREATMENT PROGRAM
Alsup was ordered to enter the Care Center Ministries (CCM)addiction treatment program in 2022. In a letter from CCM dated April 7 last year, it was reported that Alsup “had snuck off without telling anyone why he was leaving.” Alsup did not resurface until about three months later when he was booked into Baxter County Detention Center just before 2 a.m. on June 29 last year.
In another case, Alsup arrested in 2018 for squatting on a houseboat with a female.
The owner of the boat said Alsup did not have permission to be aboard. Alsup is reported to have told the responding deputies he and the woman were staying on the boat because they were trying to stay off drugs.
Alsup has picked up a long list of criminal charges through the years, including trafficking Fentynal, possessing methamphetamine, breaking or entering, being a felon in possession of a weapon, residential burglary, commercial burglary, theft of property, being in simultaneous possession of guns and drugs.
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