Federal grant will pay for radio system

By LEWIS DELAVAN / News editor

Emergency radios will be bought for the county, Saline County Quorum Court voted.

The $215,610 project will be paid by federal funds administered through the state Department of Emergency Management.

It's part of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, an emergency plan of the Pine Bluff Arsenal.

All votes were unanimous. Justices of the peace Mel Kirby, Tom Lish, Chuck Daniels and Mark Kizer were absent.

In other business, JPs appropriated $25,000 collected by Benton District Court.

It will help create the District Court Pilot Program, starting in January.

The pilot project, created by state Act 663 of 2007, places more authority on Benton and Bryant district courts.

Computers and a closed-circuit television system will link Saline County jail inmates with courtrooms. The money will pay for computers, data conversion and other equipment.

The JPs approved reimbursement for local travel. County employees may be reimbursed for mileage and parking fees when the travel is half of a $5 district court cost will be earmarked for jail construction. JP Buster Warrick had introduced the ordinance a month earlier.

Also approved:

•An ordinance adding Beacon Cove (281 feet), Heritage Heights Drive (1,415 feet), Heritage Valley Drive (770 feet), Kings Court (220 feet), Lantern Hill Drive (651 feet), Queens Court (225 feet), Winchester Drive (1,635 feet), and Hampton Drive (395 feet) to the county road system.

•An ordinance designating as private roads Short Hill Drive (282.2 feet), East Shadow Ridge (2,283 feet), West Shadow Ridge (2,011 feet), Shadow Cutoff (675.2 feet) and Valley Hill Road (675.2 feet).

•The first reading of a proposal to add to the county road system a 5,698-foot extension of Joseph Drive and 218 feet of Asher Drive, both in Pinewood Estates. The subdivision is south of Lawson Road and east off Congo-Ferndale Road

The Internet makes drugs readily available.

Mask has talked to state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to work on legislation dealing with Internet policing.

Two suspects were arrested during the search. Mask said the home had been under investigation for a year.

Parto Recarloe Porter, 31, of Little Rock and Terry Isbell, 30, who lives in the home, were taken to the Saline County jail.

Both are charged with felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Isbell was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and maintaining a drug premise.

Porter is listed as an absconder by the state Department of Correction.

Near the end of the search of the home, Porter drove up and entered the home carrying a large trash bag, that was later found to be holding 11 pounds of marijuana.

Reportedly, when Porter saw the narcotics officers, he ran out of the home and into the woods across the street until officers caught him after a short chase.

"Porter is just what we call the mule," Mask said. "He was transporting it for the main players, but that investigation is still continuing and hopefully we'll get the big supplier out of it."

Mask believes the marijuana came from Mexico.

"We believe this is a signifi- cant arrest and we got a little of the marijuana off the streets," said Mask.