$1.00 Newton County Times Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Vol. 102 Number 2 Two men arrested for Eff ects of deer disease being suspected homicide, arson near Fallsville studied in northern Arkansas Staff Report attempted to sneak out the By Jeff Williams FALLSVILLE — Newton back. ey were apprehended Editor, Arkansas Wildlife Magazine County Sheri Glenn Wheel- without incident. JASPER — A team research- er said two men were ar- Wheeler said Steven Stepp ing chronic wasting disease in rested Sunday in connection faces charges of rst-degree white-tailed deer in the heart with a suspected arson and murder, arson and aggravat- of the area where it is most murder incident Saturday. ed robbery, but other charges prevalent in Arkansas will be- According to Wheeler, may be pending. Charles gin capturing and monitoring Deer and Ozone re depart- Vernon Stepp will be inter- deer in January. ments were called to the viewed to determine what, Most people won’t notice scene of a house re west of if any, charges could be led research is occurring, al- Fallsville around 3:35 p.m., against him. though others may run across Saturday, Jan. 9. e name of the victim activity or structures that While battling the blaze, has not been released as a aren’t familiar, especially in Newton and Searcy counties. re ghters found the body of positive identi cation has not CONTRIBUTED PHOTO a male subject inside the resi- yet been made. e investiga- e purpose of the study is to dence. It is believed to be that tion continues, Wheeler said obtain a better understand- information to inform future University of Georgia-Athens, of the homeowner. Evidence e sheri said authorities ing of how deer a icted with disease management e orts.” Southeast Cooperative Wild- at the scene and subsequent are also very concerned for CWD move across the land- People in the area may life Disease Study, Colorado information received con- the welfare of two children scape, survive and reproduce, see helicopters and traps set State University, the National rmed investigators’ suspi- who may be in the company according to Dr. Jenn Ballard, during the next few years, as Park Service and the U.S. cions that a homicide and of Josh and Veronica Kee state wildlife veterinarian with well as deer with collars and Forest Service. Much more arson had occurred, Wheeler and may have been at the the Arkansas Game and Fish ear tags. A phone number on about the study will appear on said. residence at the time of the Commission. the tags will allow hunters AGFC social media pages and Wheeler said investigators homicide. ose children e team will capture deer, who harvest one of the deer on agfc.com as the research began actively looking for have not yet been located, test them for CWD, put col- to call to nd out when the progresses. two male suspects, Charles but investigators are actively lars on them and track their animal was sedated. Deer that Since the rst case of CWD Vernon Stepp, 69 and Steven following leads. movements. When deer die, have been injected with drugs was con rmed in Arkansas in Stepp, 34, both of the Falls- Newton County Sheri ’s necropsies will determine the should not be consumed if early 2016, 1,090 deer and 30 ville area, for questioning. O ce is being assisted in the cause of death. they were harvested within 14 elk have tested positive for the Information led investiga- investigation by the Arkansas “By understanding the way days of sedation. If a hunter disease. e AGFC encour- tors to a house in Clarksville State Police, the 14th Judicial CWD changes survival and harvests an animal within that ages everyone to report deer where the suspects were be- District Drug Task Force, reproduction, we can calcu- time, a replacement deer tag and elk that show signs of the lieved to be hiding. Surveil- e Johnson County Sheri ’s late the e ect the disease is will be issued. disease by calling 800-482- lance was put in place at the O ce, Clarksville Police De- having and will have on our e AGFC is working with 9262 or emailing agfc.health@ residence and around 7 p.m. partment, and the Arkansas population dynamics,” Ballard several partners on the ve- agfc.ar.gov. Sunday, Jan. 10, the suspects Game and Fish Commission. said. “We’ll be able to use this year project, including the See DEER, 2A Vaccination protocol in state outlined Staff Report and other high priority ought to stay in 1-A because e hopeful timeline the LITTLE ROCK — Gov. groups. they are putting themselves governor included start- Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday e governor said the at risk,” Hutchinson said. ing on individuals in Phase outlined the procedure for main di erence between “ ey are our rst respond- 1-B beginning in February. COVID-19 vaccination ef- the state’s prioritization ers and our initial planning at includes people who forts and a hopeful timeline and that of the Centers for included our rst respond- are 70 and older, as well as for who will get shots and Disease Control is that EMS ers in 1-A.” frontline essential workers, when. and re and law enforce- ere are 180,000 Arkan- such as: Hutchinson said the state ment o cers who serve as sans in that 1-A category • Teachers and school CONTRIBUTED PHOTO is currently in Phase 1-A rst responders are on the and the state hopes to have s t a . Gov. Asa Hutchinson stands in front of the of administering vaccines. 1-A list. ey had initially all of them vaccinated by • Food and agricultural new logo the state is employing to stress the Individuals in that group been among CDC recom- the end of January. workers. include high priority health- mendations, but were later “So, we have a lot of • Fire ghters/police not importance of taking the COVID-19 pandemic care workers, long-term care removed. work to do,” he said. “We’re in 1-A. seriously as a new surge in cases is anticipate facility sta and residents “We believe that they focused on that.” See VACCINE, 2A DEATHS Walker Bowles, 25 Erma Rawlingson, 78 Flu-related deaths go to 8 Eddie Riddell, 64 Staff Report Peggy Roberts, 69 have reported in uenza out- activity in the state. e report ports of hospitalizations, deaths, e number of u-related breaks this u season. also compares in uenza- like- and outbreaks. erefore, it is deaths climbed to 8 this week, During u season, ADH illness (ILI) in Arkansas to ac- important to understand that according to the Arkansas produces a Weekly In uenza tivity in the U.S. ADH receives the information in the weekly Department of Health (ADH). Report for clinicians. e report reports of only a fraction of u update is representative of the INDEX However, no nursing homes provides information on u cases since it only requires re- See FLU, 2A Viewpoints .............4A Obituaries ..............5A Correspondents ....6A Copeland sworn in as 14th District circuit judge Sports .................7-8A Staff Report Classifi eds .........9-10A NIE ....................... 11A Justice Shawn Womack of the Ar- kansas Supreme Court presided over the swearing in ceremony of Circuit Judge Johnnie Copeland on Friday, January 1, 2021. Judge Copeland succeeds Judge Gordon Webb who retired a er a long and distinguished career in public service as both a Prosecuting Attorney and Circuit Judge. Judge Copeland has practiced law in Mountain Home since 2006 and served as a Deputy Prosecuting At- torney for the 14th Judicial District since 2015. In 2017 she was appointed Fulton County District Judge by Governor Asa Hutchinson. Judge Copeland will be hearing civil and domestic cases led in Baxter, Boone, Newton and Marion counties. ere are unprecedented chal- lenges facing our court system for the foreseeable future due to the CONTRIBUTED PHOTO LEE DUNLAP/STAFF pandemic. I am looking forward to Justice Shawn Womack of the Arkansas serving the people of Baxter, Boone, Supreme Court presided over the swearing JANUARY 7 SNOWFALL Newton and Marion counties using in ceremony of Circuit Judge Johnnie Co- Snow covered the ground in the Compton area every available resource to ensure Thursday morning, Jan. 7. Snow depths reported that the people of the 14th Judicial peland on Friday, January 1, 2021. Judge District have their cases heard as Copeland succeeds Judge Gordon Webb around the county indicate that Mt. Judea and Lur- quickly as possible. who retired ton received the most snow with 7 inches or more. 2 2A Newton County Times NEWS Wednesday, January 13, 2021 Weather Arkansas’s Citizen Legislature to convene 2021 regular session THUR FRI From the Arkansas Senate a professional bull rider for four senators bring to the legislature A lot of legislative work carries LITTLE ROCK — When the years. influence their agendas. The on from one session to the next. legislature convened in regular Three senators are veterans most common example is that For example, Act 600 of 2019 session at noon on Monday, Jan. of the armed forces. One sena- educators choose to serve on the made it the duty of the legisla- 11, the individuals in the Senate tor was the mayor of his home Senate Education Committee ture to regularly review licensing Mostly Mostly brought a wide variety of real- town and three served on the city and people in business serve on requirements for occupations sunny sunny with a with a world experience to the task. council. Four served on their lo- the Insurance and Commerce that fall under government high near high near Of the 35 members in the cal school boards and three were Committee, farmers choose to regulation.