Tuesday, August 05, 2008

TOP STORY > >Mourners upset at deputies for arrest at funeral

By JOHN HOFHEIMER
Leader senior staff writer

Kim Hall slipped back into central Arkansas to attend the funeral of her cousins, but she left the service in handcuffs, according to Sheriff Jim Roberson.

Lonoke residents Bryan Keith Green, 11, and his aunt, Rebecca Pack, 42, died in a one-car accident on I-40 July 26 and passengers Kimberly “Bryanne” Green of Lonoke and Stephane Hill of Conway were taken to Stuttgart Hospital.

Bryan Green was Kimberly’s brother.

Hall, who had pleaded guilty to theft of financial identity and fraud, a Class D felony, fled to Canada at the time.

Roberson said his office re-ceived a tip that Hall would be back in the area for the funeral and made arrangements to arrest her.

Roberson said his officers waited through the funeral and viewing, then discreetly arrested Hall before she could leave. She had been seated by a door.

“What was also sad and more than sad, just totally unbelievable, was to have been witness to the Lonoke County Sheriff’s department placing a family member in handcuffs and placing them under arrest before this child had even been laid to rest,” wrote one woman in an unsigned letter to The Leader.

Roberson said Hall was arrested at the service because deputies didn’t want to take a chance of her slipping away and out of the country again.

Hall was arrested without incident and has been transported to the Diagnostic Unit of the state Correction Department, according to Roberson.

The service was held July 31 at Griffin Leggett Rest Hills Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 7724 Landers Road in North Little Rock.

The accident occurred westbound on I-40 in a 2004 Chevy Tahoe, driven by Pack, who drove off the highway and back on, turning clockwise and overturning on the north shoulder, according to the narrative in the police report.

The Tahoe then crossed over a fence before coming to rest on the north side of I-40 right-side up and facing eastbound.

All four occupants were ejected from the vehicle, according to the report.