Retired Couple Arrested After Alleged Sledgehammer Threat in Jonesboro

JONESBORO, Ark. — A retired couple was arrested this week in Jonesboro after a dispute over children in their yard seemingly spiraled out of control.

The police report alleges that the incident happened between 5:15 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 2, at the 900 block of Sandra Lane in Jonesboro. The probable cause affidavit says that 911 received a call from a male, Timothy Brents, stating that people needed to be removed from his property, or he was going to kill them.

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Officers arrived and met with several people in the driveway who reported that earlier, Brents had a sledgehammer and was threatening them with it. Brents was detained as officers spoke further with the alleged victims, who said they had had ongoing issues with the male defendant.

Police were told Brents and his wife came outside and confronted the minor victims about being in his yard. The children are 8 and 9 years of age, respectively. An argument began and reportedly led to Brents’s wife giving him a sledgehammer as he yelled at the children.

The alleged victims said Brents pulled the sledgehammer back as if he was going to hit them, which caused one of the victims to grab the hammer to prevent it. Two of the victims listed in the report were adults. The report does not specify who was the target of the alleged threat. The investigation was still open as of Wednesday, Sept. 4.

Timothy L. Brents, 59, of Jonesboro, was arrested at the scene. On Wednesday, he appeared before the court where probable cause was found to charge him with first-degree terroristic threatening and aggravated assault, both Class D felonies, as well as a misdemeanor for second-degree endangering the welfare of a minor. A $50,000 cash or surety bond was set for his release.

Additionally, Vickey Dean Brents, 69, of Jonesboro, was also arrested. However, she was released the next day. JPD’s Public Information Official Sally Smith confirmed to our reporter that detectives had dropped the charges against her.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.