Wednesday, December 25, 2019 The Issue 24 • 1 Section • 12 Pages Murfreesboro Diamond 75¢ Serving South Pike County, Arkansas Since 1975 USPC 103-230 uuu Home of the Crater of Diamonds State Park uuu Man to face additional charges of kiddie porn HOPE -- A Hempstead County man, ar- See Inside ... Letters to Santa Claus rested in early November for voyeurism after a 14-year-old girl reportedly found a hidden camera in the bathroom where she was about to take a shower, was arrested again Friday, according to Hempstead County Sheriff James Singleton, for child pornography charges. According to the Sheriff, Justice Lee West age 30, Of Blevins, was arrested around 8 a.m. Friday, December 20 by Hempstead County Criminal Investigators. Investigators reported seized West’s phone and executed a search warrant on the phone and an iCloud account that belonged to him. According to the Sheriff, investigators found images of nude juveniles depicting sexual contact with other juveniles. Sheriff Singleton said West was arrested for three counts of distributing, possessing or viewing of matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child (a Class A Felony for the first offense and Class B Felony for subsequent offenses). He was transported and booked into the Hempstead Detention Facility. Staff Photos EHC CHRISTMAS GATHERING ... The Extension Homemakers Council gathered recently in Murfreesboro to hand out their yearly awards for 2019 as well as swap gifts (pictured above) in a game of “left/right”. Pictured below is Allie Watson, with daughter Jolee, while the group played a game of “Ugly Sweaters” -- a holiday themed version of Clue. For more of the event, please see page 5 of this edition of the Murfreesboro Diamond. Holiday closings, sanitation schedule changes announced PIKE COUNTY -- The Pike County Court- house and associated offices will be closed for the upcoming holidays on the following days: • Christmas -- Noon on Dec. 23 through De- cember 25 • New Years -- Noon on Dec. 31 through January 1 On the week of Christmas, sanitation collec- tion will be normal on Monday, Dec. 23. For the south end of Pike County, residents normally getting pickup on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will have collection on Thurs- day, December 26. Thursday residents will be picked up on Friday, December 27. For the north end of Pike County, residents normally getting pickup on Tuesday will be collected on Thursday, December 26. Wednes- day and Thursday residents will be collected on Friday, December 27. For the week of New Years Day, Monday Merry Christmas and Tuesday will hold normal schedule, while Wednesday and Thursday will be one day be- AGFC announces tree donations, special deer hunt hind. LITTLE ROCK -- Instead of setting your used Recreation Areas and the Millwood State Park ment areas and national wildlife refuges are CITY OF MURFREESBORO Christmas tree by the curb the day after Christ- ramp on the point closed to modern gun hunting during the hunt, The City of Murfreesboro offices will be mas, why not give it a second life as fish habi- • Dierks Lake – Jefferson Ridge South Recre- but many will be open. closed from noon on Monday, Dec. 23 through tat in your local lake? The Arkansas Game and ation Area Also ahead is the second Youth Hunt, Jan. 4-5. Wednesday, Dec. 25 for the Christmas Holiday. Fish Commission has drop-off locations across • De Queen Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of This also is a statewide hunt with no dogs al- The City sanitation department will be off the state to leave your tree for an angler to use Engineers boat ramp lowed. on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec, 24-25. Tues- in their next brushpile. • Gillham Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of “We don’t see as much interest in the second day and Wednesday normal sanitation sched- Unlike artificial trees that get boxed up and Engineers boat ramp youth hunt as the first,” Meeker said. “But there ule will be collected on Thursday, Dec. 26, and stuffed in the attic, real Christmas trees must be • Lake Greeson – New Cowhide Cove and are still plenty of deer out there for young hunt- Thursday and Friday will be collected on Fri- discarded, but that doesn’t mean you have to Self Creek Recreation areas ers to pursue and it gives them one last shot to day, Dec. 27. just toss it out like trash. There’s still a lot of po- • Hope – AGFC Regional Office on U.S. use those new rifles they may have gotten at The City office will then close on Wednes- tential in those branches for baitfish and young Highway 67 East Christmas.” day, January 1 in observance of New Year’s sport fish to hide from predators, and likewise Hunters 6 to 15 years old can go after deer Day. for larger fish to wait and ambush prey. STATEWIDE HOLIDAY DEER HUNT with modern guns, muzzleloaders or archery That week Monday and Tuesday’s routes AGFC Christmas tree drop-off locations work Deer hunters using modern guns have one gear. Youths who have passed hunter educa- will be run as normal, with Wednesday and sort of like a take-a-penny, leave-a-penny tray at more chance to collect on their scouting time tion may hunt on their own. Youths who have Thursday’s route run on Thursday, January a cash register. Anyone can drop off their tree, and tag a trophy. The statewide modern gun not passed hunter education must be under the 2. Friday will resume the normal collection and anyone is welcome to take them to sink holiday deer hunt is Dec. 26-28. direct supervision of an adult who is 21 or old- schedule. their own brushpiles. Anglers sinking brush Established during the 1999-2000 deer sea- er. The adult mentor may not carry a hunting should call ahead to make sure sinking brush is son, the statewide holiday deer hunt was cre- weapon of their own during the hunt. allowed in the body of water where they want ated to enable hunters another opportunity to This year’s extremely good mast crop has to sink the trees. Some water-supply reservoirs get out and enjoy the outdoors and harvest deer kept many deer deeper in the woods more than and other lakes have regulations to prevent while home for the holidays. usual, which has not played in favor of hunters Pike county man to dumping of brush without permission. “A lot of hunters will receive hunting equip- who have stayed on the stand in front of food “Nearly all AGFC-owned lakes were created ment for Christmas, and they want to put those plots or feeders. face felony charges for fishing, and brushpiles from the Christmas items to use right away,” said Ralph Meeker, “When the woods are full of acorns, the deer trees are welcome in those,” AGFC Habitat Bi- Deer Program Coordinator for the Arkansas will absolutely focus on that food source as long in pair of incidents ologist Cody Wyatt said. “But no artificial trees Game and Fish Commission. “There also are a as it is available,” Meeker said. “However, some should be used. The types of plastics and mate- lot of families and friends who only see each acorns have been on the ground for a while and MURFREESBORO -- A Glenwood man had rials used in those trees may cause issues with other during the holidays and this hunt enables have begun to rot, especially with all the wet two separate felony cases opened against him water quality in the long term.” them to continue their hunting traditions.” weather we’ve had. This may cause deer to be- last week in Pike County Circuit Court. Anglers also should make sure all ornaments, The holiday hunt is structured identically to gin moving more during the late season and go- Cody Wayne Duggan, 23, was charged Dec. lights and tinsel are removed from the tree be- the regular modern gun hunts with the excep- ing back to food plots and feeders. You never 19 with possession of methamphetamine and fore sinking. Not only do they carry the same tion that no dogs are allowed anywhere in the know unless you’re out there hunting.” drug paraphernalia in one case, and fleeing sort of environmental problem, they eventually state. All deer taken during the hunt count to- Please visit www.agfc.com/en/hunting/big- and two counts of first-degree battery in the separate from the tree and become trash that ward a hunter’s seasonal bag limit for the zone game/deer for more information on deer hunt- other case. can entangle fishing lures, motors and wildlife. where they are hunting. Some wildlife manage- ing in Arkansas. The drug charges stem from an incident in “We sink our brushpiles with standard cin- November, 2019 when a special agent with the der blocks tied to the tree with either parachute 9th West Judicial Drug Task Force was prepar- cord or heavy baling wire,” Wyatt said. “These ing to make a controlled purchase of metham- materials last for an extremely long time and phetamine through a confidential informant keep the tree anchored to one spot.” CCC-UA announces fall semester honor students in the Glenwood area. When the agent went Wyatt says Christmas trees are relatively to search the informant’s vehicle prior to the short-term habitat because they don’t have DE QUEEN -- The University of Arkansas Newhope: Natalie Henegar Cossatot Office of the Registar has released the transaction, a passenger identified as Dug- much thick woody material, but they can be The UA Cossatot Fall 2019 Vice Chancellor’s fall Chancellor’s List and Vice Chancellor’s List gan, went to the rear passenger side door and gathered in clusters easily and sunk in large List includes the following local students: recognizing honor students.