On January 19th, officers responded to the Benton Antique Mall (18325 I-30) on report of an armed robbery call. Upon their arrival, contact was made with the victim in the case who reported that three suspects had robbed him at gunpoint.
The victim in the case said the suspects arranged to meet him there via a Craigslist ad he was running on some jewelry he was selling. After meeting with them, one of them displayed a pistol towards him and then left the area with his jewelry.
Detectives immediately started working leads in the case and it was discovered the suspects responsible for this crime were also related to an incident involving a shooting that occurred recently in Searcy. The suspects were identified as Johnny Patton (27 YOA), Amanda Hampton (27 YOA), and Ricky Jones (31 YOA). The three suspects were also recently involved in an incident with the Arkansas State Police that led into Texas where they were apprehended.
All three suspects have warrants issued and will be charged with Aggravated Robbery, Theft of Property, and Aggravated Assault in connection to our case. This is an on-going investigation and additional charges could be forthcoming.
Anybody with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Benton Police Department at 778-1171 or 315-TIPS. Individuals also may send 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.
All suspects listed are presumed innocent unless and until found guilty.
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