Page 5 - SYNC 10.28.15

THE WEEKLY REWIND
NEWS
Police: 3 men linked to west LR robberies
GOVERNOR’S AIDE DEFENDS WORK WITH FAITH-BASED COALITION
Michael Lamoureux, Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s chief of staff, defend- ed his 2013 work
with a faith-
based coalition
whose financiers
include an Ar-
kansas lobbyist
and two tobacco
companies. The
work was going
on while he was
presiding over LAMOUREUX
the state Senate.
The Arkansas Faith and Freedom Coalition listed Lamoureux’s Rus- sellville law firm as an independent contractor on its 2013 tax return, according to tax records obtained by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. According to the Democrat-Gazette, Lamoureux’s law firm was paid $120,000 in 2013.
Lamoureux’s name is not on the now-defunct coalition’s 2014 tax return. But on Oct. 21, he said in a statement that he “was last paid for this work in early 2014 when it was decided that [Faith and Freedom] would wind down operations.”
“Concerning my work for Faith and Freedom: At all times I followed the law and ethics rules, and report- ed any income received by my law firm on our tax returns,” Lamoureux said. “This position in no way influ- enced my job as a state senator.”
Lamoureux is a Republican and served as the Senate’s president pro tempore in 2013 and 2014. He left his Senate seat in 2014 to become Hutchinson’s chief of staff.
BY THE NUMBERS
SURVEILANCE FOOTAGE FROM THE SONIC DRIVE-IN ON WESTHAVEN DRIVE
POLICE: RUSSIAN ROULETTE KILLS CONWAY MAN
ROBBERS TARGET AREA FAST-FOOD JOINTS
It looks like a group of criminals is targeting area fast-food restaurants, at least if police profiles are right. Little Rock police say the three men who robbed the Sonic Drive-In on Westhaven Drive near Chenal Parkway on Oct. 23 fit the profile in three other cas- es. After robbing the Sonic, the three men, who had their faces covered and wore latex gloves, drove off in a newer model Nissan or Toyota Corolla, according to
witnesses.
The men fit the profile of those involved in two ag-
gravated robberies and an attempted robbery, accord- ing to police.
T he a ggra v a ted robberies both took pl ace on Chenal Parkway, with a Shell Station being hit Oct. 11 and Chick-Fil-A being hit Oct. 17. The failed robbery attempt took place at the Sonic on Rodney Parham Road on Oct. 19.
Currently, the robbers are described as being in their teens or early 20s and each standing about 5-foot-9.
According to the Jefferson County’s sheriff ’s office, a 20-year-old Conway man is dead after playing a game of Russian roulette. The incident happened Oct. 24 at a 1,625-acre private hunting property, police in Jefferson County said.
According to a news release issued by the sheriff ’s office, James Luke Baker was with three friends at the Prairie Wings property, which adjoins the Bayou Metro Wildlife Management Area, when he accidentally killed himself.
Police said Baker reportedly was smoking marijuana while two of his friends slept when he suggested playing the game to another friend.
The friend declined while Baker loaded one round and fired an empty chamber at the ceiling, according to the report. When the friend left to wake the others, they heard the gun fire and found Baker in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to the head, the report said.
CONWAY CAB DRIVER ROBBED AT GUNPOINT
Conway isn’t usually associated with the sort of crime that one ex- pects in larger metro-area cities, but for one cab driver, that doesn’t mean much.
At 4 a.m. on Oct. 24, a Conway Yellow Cab driver was robbed at gunpoint by a man he picked up at Rock Creek Apartments on Monroe Street. The man was dropped off around the back of Stone Ridge apart- ments. The driver, who has not been named, said he did not recognize the gunman, who reportedly took between $150 and $200. The incident was caught on video.
The video shows the rider borrowing the cab driver’s cellphone and leaving while the driver waits. When the gunman returned, he asked if the driver had change for a $100 bill. When the driver pulled out the cash, the gunman said, “Give it to me; put it here.”
A STILL FROM A VIDEO RELEASED BY CONWAY YELLOW CAB SHOWS A PASSENGER ROBBING A DRIVER AT GUNPOINT.
— Compiled from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports
THERE ARE DAYS TO MARK EVERYTHING, EVEN OUR FURRY FRIENDS. THURSDAY IS NATIONAL CAT DAY, WHICH WAS FIRST CELEBRATED IN 2005. THE DAY IS MARKED TO NOT ONLY CELEBRATE CATS BUT ALSO FIND THEM HOMES. PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO SPOIL THEIR CATS A LITTLE MORE THAN USUAL, EITHER BY BUYING TOYS, FEEDING THEM SOME EXTRA-SCRUMPTIOUS FOOD OR GIVING JUST
SOME ADDITIONAL CUDDLES.
12.7years 1.35-to-1 74,059,000 2.1
Average lifespan of cats in Arkansas, according to State of Pet Health Report
Ratio of dogs to cats in Arkansas, according to The Washington Post
Number of cats living in the U.S., Number of cats owned per household according to the American Veterinary in the U.S., according to the American
Medical Association Veterinary Medical Association
10.28.15 • syncweekly.com 5
SUBMITTED PHOTO
COURTESY OF THE LITTLE ROCK POLICE DEPARTMENT