WALNUT RIDGE, Ark. – Two young men are suspected to have gone on a joyride Saturday night in Walnut Ridge which ended with two houses and more filled with bullet holes.
The initial call came into Lawrence County Dispatch around 9 p.m. Saturday night, Walnut Ridge Police Chief Chris Kirksey told NEA Report. He said within a minute, officers were on the scene of the residence.
Police discovered two homes with bullet holes in them, along with a road sign and a car from a local car lot which also appeared to have been shot. The home’s occupant, Kyle Craig, was away at the time and got a call from his wife about the terrifying incident.
“Getting a call from my frantic bride Saturday night telling me that someone had just shot a bullet through my daughter’s’ bedroom window that traveled across their room, through their closet wall, into our bedroom next to our bed put a rage of anger in my mind that I have never experienced,” Craig wrote on Facebook. “I was 50 miles away and felt helpless which made me even more angry.”
“By the time I made it to my now bullet-invaded-home, reality was really sitting in as I saw the blue lights surrounding my house, flashlights scouring my yard, and the flash of the evidence camera,” Craig continued. “But none of that sunk my stomach like the feeling I got when I walked into my baby girl’s room and seen the glass from the bullet hole scattered across the bed that would have been keeping my baby comfortable had she not been gone for the night with a friend.”
Despite the sheer terror of the scene, several witnesses provided statements and descriptions to officers which helped them quickly identify suspects.
Just before midnight Saturday, Lawrence County Sheriff’s deputies reached out to Jonesboro Police Department to ask for their assistance. Deputies believed one of the suspects was possibly at Cheddar’s on Red Wolf Boulevard in Jonesboro. Sure enough, JPD officers found Gregory Berry, 19, of Walnut Ridge, walking out. He was arrested without incident.
Officer Trey Chism with JPD said he read Miranda rights to Berry who then waived his right to an attorney and began talking to the officer, according to the incident report. The officer said Berry told him he and Larry Parish, 18, of Walnut Ridge, went riding around and that “he shot up into the air twice while driving around.” The officer also detailed Berry admitting to drinking alcohol at the time of the shooting.
Berry was transported to Lawrence County Jail. Parish was also arrested over the weekend.
Both are being held in jail awaiting bond hearings.
Each faces three felony counts of terroristic act, three felony counts of criminal mischief and three counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm. The investigation is still active, as authorities are searching to see what other homes or structures may have been damaged in the alcohol-fueled spree.
Updated July 5: Both men had their bond set at $50,000, cash only, Tuesday in Lawrence County court.
(Photo Source: Kyle Craig, Facebook profile)
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