On 2/3/15, at approximately 3:56 PM, officers with the Benton Police Department were patrolling the Wal-Mart parking lot (17309 I-30) when they observed two subjects sitting in a truck that were acting suspicious. Whenever the officer stopped, the driver immediately exited and quickly went into the store.
A check of the license plate on the truck determined the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Hot Springs. Officers then made contact with the occupant of the vehicle who was identified as Calvin Gentry (35 YOA) of Hot Springs Village. Other officers found the driver inside the store and he initially told them a false name, but was later identified as Robert Long (30 YOA) of Little Rock.
Subsequent investigation found that the vehicle identification number (VIN) plate had been removed off of the truck, but another VIN was located and verified to have been stolen. Gentry and Long were both placed under arrest and transported to the Saline County Detention Facility for processing.
Gentry is charged with Theft by Receiving and Long is charged with Theft by Receiving, Vehicle Without Manufacturer Number, and Criminal Impersonation. Additionally, Long is an active parolee out of the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections and had an arrest warrant out of their agency, along with two additional warrants from two separate police agencies. This is an on-going investigation and additional charges could be forthcoming.
Anyone with information about this crime is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us an anonymous crime tip about this incident to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword BNPD in the body of the text or go to www.crimereports.com to leave a tip. A crime tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Any suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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