IN SHORT: Cabot fugitive is apprehended in Richland, Miss.
By RICK KRON
Leader staff writer
A Cabot man who sent his wife and in-laws to the hospital after attacking them with a tire iron last week has been arrested in Richland, Miss.
Det. John King, of the Richland Police Department, said Billy Cul-bertson, 52, of 306 Oakview Dr., Cabot, was apprehended Wednes-day, when he tried to pick up some personal items at his ex-wife’s house just outside the Richland city limits.
Culbertson is now awaiting extradition back to Cabot. “He’ll either waive his rights and being taken back to Arkansas, or we will have a hearing,” King said.
According to a Cabot police report, on Aug. 15, Culbertson attacked A.D. Thomason, 81, Beryldean Thomason, 80, both of Bald Knob, and Linda Culbertson, 56, of 306 Oakview Drive, where the crime occurred.
The victims suffered head wounds, lacerations and other injuries from the attack. The Thomasons are still in the hospital at last report and in stable condition. Because of injuries caused by Culbertson, doctors had to amputate some of Beryldean Thomason’s fingers.
King said Culbertson’s daughter lives in Richland, and he contacted her a day or two after the assaults and told her he had “done something terrible.”
Culbertson asked her daughter to drive back up to the Cabot area and get some personal items, including a motorcycle, from a storage unit for him. She did and made arrangements for Culbertson to pick up the items at her mother’s house (his ex-wife). She called King and told him that Culbertson had been working in the Gulf Coast area but would be back in Richland on Wednesday to pick up his stuff.
“We made plans to take him down as soon as he stepped out of his vehicle at his ex-wife’s place,” King explained.
“Knowing what he was accused of in Arkansas, we were concerned that he might try something during the arrest,” King said.
He said Culbertson’s daughter was afraid that Culbertson might hurt himself or others when she contacted him.
“But Culbertson offered no resistance when we made the arrest and he followed all of our commands,” said King, one of the four officers involved in the arrest.
According to Cabot police, when they went to the crime scene, they met Linda Culbertson at the door. She was bleeding from the head and her left eye and her left arm appeared to be broken. She shouted to the police, “Help me please, I think he may be dead.”
She was referring to A.D. Thomason, who was in a recliner in the living room and completely covered in blood. But Thomason was conscious enough to yell out that the suspect, Culbertson, had run out the door. Thomason’s wife, Beryl-dean, was also covered in blood, but she was up and walking.
According to the Thomasons, they were in the living room of the home watching television when Culbertson forced his way in sometime between 8 and 9 p.m. He said he was there to kill Linda Culbertson and began cursing.
Thomason told Culbertson not to use that kind of language. Culbertson then beat Thomason with a tire iron several times, knocking him to the floor. He then attacked Beryldean Thomason with the tire iron. He dragged both into a bedroom and let them continue to bleed while he waited for Linda Culbertson.
When she arrived home, Culber-tson hit her with the tire iron and screamed, “I’m going to kill you.”
He continued to attack Linda Culbertson, and then suddenly stopped and told Beryldean Thomason to call 911. Culbertson left through the back door, screaming, “Now I am going to kill myself.”
