A Sheridan police officer's check on a parked vehicle right after midnight on July 10 led to two arrests after police say a Little Rock man arranged for a woman to exchange sex for money at a residence near Woodenhead and White Oaks Drive, according to a Sheridan Police Department report.
Officer Mike Sweeney wrote in the report that he approached a vehicle parked on the side of the road in a dark area around 12:10 a.m. He ran the vehicle license plate, which returned to a different car than the one at the scene. Dispatch was unable to confirm insurance coverage, the report states.
The driver, identified as Alex Carruth, 25, of Little Rock, told the officer he had dropped a woman off at a nearby house and was waiting to pick her up, according to the report.
Sweeney said Carruth grew increasingly nervous during the stop, repeatedly sending text messages and locking his phone. Carruth declined to allow a search of his vehicle.
Carruth was placed under arrest on preliminary charges of obstructing governmental operations, failure to register his vehicle and driving without insurance, the report states.
He then directed officers to a nearby address.
According to the report, another officer went to the address and was met by Parker Parish. Parish told Childress that Kenzie Cook was not decent.
Cook, 20, told officers she had been paid $400 to be at the residence and said Carruth had arranged the encounter and received a portion of the money.
Cook was arrested on a charge of prostitution, and Carruth's charges were expanded to include third-degree promoting prostitution, the report states.
An inventory search of Carruth's vehicle turned up a small amount of a substance believed to be marijuana and a loaded handgun in the trunk, according to the report.
Police said the firearm, a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson, came back as stolen out of Little Rock. Carruth was also booked on a charge of possession of a controlled substance and theft by receiving. The report notes a deputy prosecutor later declined to pursue the firearm charge.
Both Carruth and Cook were booked into jail on their respective charges. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
This incident report was obtained from the Sheridan Police Department under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. Not all reported incidents result in criminal charges. All individuals named as suspects or arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.