Arkansas Blog: Now THAT is a reward

I received an e-mail with an offer of a $500,000 reward for the arrest and successful prosecution of a man who shot a Malvern police officer in woods last week. The officer has not been identified. He was shot in the arm and a police spokesman said he was in good condition today.

$500,000????

That's a powerful incentive.

This story caught my eye for other reasons when I saw it on TV. As the story went, the cop had come across a bow hunter at night and a struggle ensued in which the man took the cop's gun and shot him. The cop then buried -- and broke off -- a four-inch knife in the man, who took off, dripping blood. An intensive search, including the use of tracking dogs, failed to turn up the suspect, who presumably wasn't moving too swiftly. Maybe, I thought, this episode could help you see why finding John Glasgow up on Petit Jean was a harder task than it might have appeared.

But back to the reward. A Malvern police spokesman, Lt. Bernie Moseley, said he'd been told by an employee of the Dallas company offering the reward that an officer in the firm had a vacation home in Arkansas and wanted to help. (Ken Carlson, chief financial officer of Westdale Asset Management of Dallas, later told me the same thing.) Moseley, like everyone else I talked with, wasn't familiar with the company and naturally wondered if the offer was legit, though he had no specific reason to doubt it, apart from the unusual size. "He'd better have a way to back it up when it comes down to brass tacks," Moseley said.

"It is for real," Carlson told me. He declined to identify the company official who has property in Arkansas. The company manages real estate nationally, particularly apartment complexes. "He just wanted to put up a half-million to keep interest in the case up."

It should. At this level of reward, the suspect might turn himself in.

Malvern National Bank, identified as holding the reward money in escrow, said through a spokesman that its lack of familiarity with the company prompted it to decide not to handle the escrow account. Carlson, who had talked with the Malvern bank officer, said the money was currently in a Dallas bank but that they had thought it would be better placed in an Arkansas bank. The Malvern banker provided a list of alternative depositories to Carlson, but, at 4:30 p.m., Carlson said it was likely too late in the day to make a switch.

Police in Malvern are overwhelmed by the offer. The Fraternal Order of Police was tickled it had rounded up a $1,000 reward fund. Make that $501,000.

That's the story so far, anyway. I don't think we've heard it all. By the way, Carlson said a rumor floating around Malvern, that the contributor of the award and the shot policemen were related, was not true.

NEWS RELEASE

Westdale Asset Management of Dallas, TX is offering a $500,000.00 cash reward for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the individual who attempted to shoot and kill an on duty Malvern Police Officer.

According to Malvern Police Department reports the man is described as 6’- 3” to 6’ – 4” 240 lbs, white male with a beard last seen dressed entirely in camouflage with a knife stuck in his right side fleeing the scene after shooting a Malvern on duty police officer in the Riverview addition of the City of Malvern around 1:00 AM on Friday, April 18, 2008. The man was reportedly illegally hunting in the area with a compound bow and possibly a shotgun.

The cash reward of $500,000 is being held in escrow at Malvern National Bank, Malvern, Arkansas.

Anyone with information concerning this matter should call their local law enforcement agency or Malvern Police Department.

Comments

I think I know some cops who will be taking a week or two off real soon. Then it's possible someone messed up and wrongly added a zero or two on the number.

Posted by: L.Wood | April 22, 2008 05:24 PM

Key persons at Westdale:

Management
Joseph G. Beard President

Evan J. Griffiths COO

Kenneth W. (Ken) Carlson CFO

source: Google Finance

Posted by: L.Wood | April 22, 2008 05:29 PM

Yeah, someone messed up with the zeros. There's absolutely no way they meant 500k.

Posted by: JD | April 22, 2008 06:31 PM

It was DBI! I saw him!

(sorry man, I need the money)

Posted by: RazorbackDem | April 22, 2008 07:14 PM

That dude comes 'round here and he's toast.
Ol' Uncle Rick'll take him by the ear and walk him into that cop shop quicker'n you can say "show me da money". And we'll be followed by all my creditors, with their hands out, looking like one of those cell phone commercials.
Can you hear me now?

Posted by: RickBaber | April 22, 2008 07:25 PM

Hell! I wish it was me too! I'd tip off my wife and let her turn me in....cause as they say.....I'd be worth more dead than alive. Watch....this country will turn into full time reward hunters with reward money like that hanging out there. Now...how can we spend this all around and get a bounty on Bush & Cheney.....dead or alive?

Posted by: Deathbyinches | April 22, 2008 07:27 PM

Wasn't this the plot for "First Blood"?

Posted by: ironfortified | April 22, 2008 09:21 PM

The president of Westdale is Joseph George Beard his wife is Sherry Renee Beard, they are the aunt and uncle of the officer's wife. Joe and Sherry Beard just recently filed a lawsuit in Hot Spring County against the officer and his wife for $31,000. Makes you wonder what is up?

ARK. BLOG: Would that be the Joe and Sherry Beard who have a house in Hot Springs?

Posted by: closette | April 23, 2008 05:16 PM

Also interesting is that the Malvern Daily Record in today's issue had a story on the continuing search, but they only mentioned the $1000 reward; no mention of the $500,000. This thing gets curiouser and curiouser.

Posted by: Bubba | April 23, 2008 05:52 PM

Curiouser and curiouser, indeed...

Posted by: rosso | April 23, 2008 09:26 PM

Remember Susan Smith? Claimed some black dude carjacked her and took off with her two kids.

She was on Good Morning America or one of those news/entertainment shows. She talked about how she was "so distraught, couldn't eat and couldn't sleep".

I turned to my wife and stated that a mother that had 2 kids abucted wouldn't be able to eat or sleep but would not be aware she was missing sleep or meals. I knew after 15 seconds that there was more to that story.

Very quickly Susan's story unraveled and we found she drove her two boys into a lake so she could be free to horizontal bopp with her boss.

There is more to this Malvern story.

A BANK DOESN"T WANT TO HOLD THE REWARD MONEY!!!!!!

How often does that happen?

Posted by: Citizen home | April 23, 2008 09:56 PM

Yes indeed Citizen: Recap

An illegal bow hunter is seen entering a wooded area.
Policeman pursues him, makes arrest.
Suspect takes policeman's gun away and shoots him.
Policeman stabs suspect with 4" blade.
Suspect leaves a blood trail that hounds cannot track (ended at River)
A suspect with a 4" deep stab wound will need treatment soon, esp if he removes the blade.
CEO of apt managing firm in Dallas, who owns Ark property, puts up hallf a million reward.
Local banks don't want to hold reward money.
Reward is not publicized in local newspapers.

Reward giver is uncle-in-law to victim.
Reward giver has a lawsuit pending against victim.

Best guess by LWood: There is unsavory prior relationship between suspect and policeman that remains a family secret.
.

Posted by: L.Wood | April 24, 2008 02:13 AM

Arkansas Blog

Now THAT is a reward

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