A woman reported missing for more than 8 years has returned to Saline County through the diligent work of a Benton Police Department detective and citizens sharing a missing person post via social media on Tuesday.
The department released a missing person report of Tabitha Clarinda Simmons (D.O.B. 4-18-1983) to the media and through social media on Sept. 29, 2015. It was reported that Simmons was last seen in 2008 by a family member and was last known to reside in Benton. Detectives received tips from the release, but Simmons remained missing.
On the morning of Tuesday, May 17, Det. Larry Applegarth requested the picture of Simmons and contact information for anyone with information about her whereabouts be shared again on social media. Later that evening, Det. Applegarth received a phone call from Simmons. She reportedly discovered that her picture and missing person information was shared on social media.
It was also discovered that Simmons had active warrants in Saline County. However, after speaking with Det. Applegarth, Simmons agreed to turn herself into the North Little Rock Police Department with transfer to the Saline County Detention Center. Now her family members who haven't seen or heard from her since 2008 know that she is safe and sound.
On Wednesday, May 18, Simmons appeared before Benton District Judge Mike Robinson for a failure to appear warrant with Alexander Police Department for a charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance, and a failure to appear warrant with the Benton Police Department for a charge of Violation of Arkansas Hot Check law. Simmons was also served a warrant for Violation of Probation for failure to report and failure to pay supervision fees for a Jan. 3, 2005, conviction of Class D felony 2nd degree Battery in which he was sentenced to serve 4 year probation. The probation revocation warrant was issued Feb. 22, 2008.
Simmons is expected to appear in Benton District Court at 1 p.m. May 24, and at 9 a.m. June 13 in Alexander District Court. Simmons was ordered by Judge Robinson to serve 20 days in the Saline County Detention Center.
To report information to the Benton Police Department, call 501-778-1171 or 501-315-TIPS. Individuals also may send us a 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 tip can also be submitted via the official Benton Police Department app found on ITunes and Google Play.
Follow BNPD on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Benton-Police-Department/221829174560849