Monticello Live

Reports of “a dead body found near the overpass on HWY 425″ came into MPD and MonticelloLive, several times, Thursday.

Here’s the true story behind the events that started that untrue rumor, that peaked Monticello’s interest……

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Around 10 am, Thursday morning, the driver of this Pontiac Sunfire reportedly swerved to avoid a dog on Winchester Road, and hit the ditch, before flipping, when it collided with a concrete driveway.

Monticello Rescue Squad responded, as did MPD, SEEMS, and MASI.

The driver’s injuries did not appear to be serious.

No one was seriously injured, around 3:45 Saturday, in a 3 vehicle collision at the HWY 425/278 intersection.

A Ford pick-up reportedly ran a red-light, and was struck in the driver’s door by a Pontiac Grand Prix.  Another vehicle was also struck, receiving less damage than the Ford and Pontiac.

Monticello Police and an Arkansas State Trooper responded to work the traffic and accident.

At least a dozen law enforcement officers were on patrol on New Year’s Eve, representing MPD, DCSO, and State Troopers, which may have been enough to convince some “celebrators” to “let somebody else drive.”

But that wasn’t the case for everyone, with 5 Drew County arrests being made on potential DWI charges, after the festivities ended well after midnight.

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Around 10 am, Wednesday morning, the driver of this log truck was driving towards Monticello, as he approached the railroad crossing between Collins and Cominto.

As the unloaded truck came around the curve, the driver saw a train across the roadway, with  a car waiting at the crossing.  Due to the recent rain and wet pavement, the driver attempted to turn into a driveway, to avoid a possible collision.  The big rig came to a stop in a nearby yard, after hitting a fence and 2 pecan trees.

No one was injured.  Drew County Sheriff’s deputies worked the wreck.

Around 6:30, Tuesday evening, MPD and SEEMS responded to the report of an 18 month old child being hit by an eastbound pick-up truck.

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A 22 year old Monticello man died of injuries he received Friday morning, in a single vehicle car crash, in Pine Bluff.

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Around 5:30, Saturday morning, the driver of the trailer of hay bales (shown below) seems to have pulled out in front of the Tyson 18-wheeler.  Both vehicles were traveling north on HWY 25 South. 

The collision occurred between All-Occaision Florist and Jordan Drive.

The driver of the Tyson truck was transported to DMH to be checked for injuries.

Triple A Towing removed the big-rig, so the roadway could be re-opened.

Monticello Police, assisted by Drew County Sheriff’s deputies, worked the crash site.

HWY 425 South, just north of Ladelle, was the scene of a fatal motor vehicle collision, Wednesday morning around 6:15, as this Ford pick-up collided head on with this Toyota Corolla.  Monticello’s Fire and Rescue Team was called out to extricate the occupants from one of the vehicles.

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A City of Monticello employee was reportedly treated and released from Drew Memorial Hospital, Friday, after the city dump truck he was driving rolled over, with him inside.

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James Glenn, age 85, of Drew County, died Monday from injuries sustained Friday afternoon around 3 pm, in an automobile accident on HWY 293, near Selma Mill Loop.

According to Arkansas State Police reports, Glenn’s Ford Ranger failed to stop and ran into the rear of a loaded log truck, which had stopped, and was waiting to turn left.

Glenn was transported to Drew Memorial Hospital, and them transferred to Baptist Medical Center in Little Rock, where he died from his injuries.

“In 20 years, I’ve never seen anything like this, before,” were the words of a local insurance agent, when describing the damage done by a deer, to a Lexus parked under it’s owner’s carport.

The strange event took place Wednesday morning around 4 am, just outside of the Monticello city limits.

The Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. filed the report in the incident.

HWY 277, between HWY 278 and Tillar, remains closed Saturday, as construction cranes are being shipped in to attempt to remove the 160,000 pound, 190 feet long railroad bridge support that shifted from it’s transport rig, Thursday night, and fell across the roadway.

The other railroad support (which made it safely into Monticello, Thursday night) is shown here around 2 pm, Friday, as Gaines St. was closed to traffic, to allow the transport crew to bring it west on Gaines Street. 

Traveling the wrong way on a one-way street, allowed them to use the more gradual turning areas by Big Jax, instead of the sharper turns by E-XZ Mart on Hyatt Street.  Traffic was soon returned to it’s regular flow. (more…)

The driver of this Chevy Cobalt failed to negotiate the curve at Winchester Road and Oakland Street, Wednesday around 2:30 pm.

MPD worked the wreck. No one was injured in accident, where the Cobalt stopped just a few inches from the brick base of Oak Grove Assembly of God Church’s welcome sign.

According reports, Tuesday afternoon, around 2:30, a Honda Accord was traveling in the right lane of East Gaines St., when it attempted to pull into or across the left lane. 

The Honda collided with a Drew County gravel truck, 2 block west of the Downtown Square.

Monticello Police and Arkansas State Police worked the accident scene, where traffic was briefly shut down.

SEEMS responded to the scene, but no one  was transported to the hospital.

Photos courtesy of a MLive reader.  Thank you for the pics.

At approximately 3:00 Friday afternoon, a maroon Chevy Suburban reportedly ran through the stop sign at the intersection of Scogin and Ross Drive. The Suburban struck a gray Mitsubishi, causing it to spin and hit a blue Ford Explorer.

The driver of the Mitsubishi was transported to the hospital by MASI and that vehicle was towed by C&L Wrecker Service. The accident was worked by Monticello Police Department, who have been diligent in patrolling the area since school began.

No one else was injured in the collision.

Around 6 o’clock, Wednesday morning, the driver of this 18-wheeler lost control of his truck on HWY 425, north of Monticello, near 5 Mile Hill.

The driver was reportedly dodging a deer, when he left the roadway, crossed the ditch, drove through a fence, and into a nearby pond.

Triple A Towing was retrieving the big-rig, assisted by Dan’s Wrecker.

The Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. worked the wreck.

The driver was reportedly not injured in the wreck.

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The driver of this Chevy Tahoe only received minor injuries, according to reports, when the vehicle lost control on HWY 35 East, past the fairgrounds.

The vehicle rolled over, before coming to a stop near the treeline.

Dan’s Wrecker towed the vehicle.  The Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. worked the accident.

Exxon is a good place to go to, if you need brake repair.  But if you have no brakes at all….

Around 5:15 Wednesday, this Ford Bronco crashed into the front wall and window of Monticello Exxon.

No one was injured.

According to reports from the Arkansas State Police, the reason for the May 19 crash of a log truck, where the driver was air-lifted from the site near Enon Baptist Church, was that the log truck first collided with a utility trailer that came loose from a passing vehicle, causing the driver to lose control.

After hitting the utility trailer, the loaded big rig swerved right, then left (into a bridge railing), across a deep ditch, into a line of trees, where the tractor-trailer came to a stop. with the load of logs crushing the cab.

According to Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Deen, Jimmy Shrum stated that he initially did not realize that he had lost his trailer.  He did go to the sheriff’s office and ultimately did return to the scene of the accident to provide the needed information.   Based on that information, the state declines to pursue felony prosecution. The misdemeanor charge filed in district court remains (more…)

Drew Central students Brad Baughn, Tim Ross, and Debra Salazar would like to thank the senior class of 2011 and all that were involved in the acquisition of the memorial bench for Jesse Ray Cash.

The bench honoring Jesse arrived and was put into place on May 23, 2011.

Jesse was a student at Drew Central who was killed in an automobile accident during his junior year. Brad, Tim, and Debra worked diligently through EAST projects and fundraisers to acquire the funds necessary to purchase the bench to place at the Drew Central High School in memoriam of their dear friend.

A special thanks to all who were involved with the fundraisers and support of the endeavor. The senior class of 2011 would also like to thank Barton’s of Monticello for their generous donation of quickcrete on which the bench rests.

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A 15-year-old Monticello male was struck by a car around 10 o’clock Saturday morning. (more…)

Around 1 p.m. Tuesday, a flat-bed 18-wheeler hauling a load of cut lumber overturned while traveling east on HWY 278′s “Dead Man’s Curve.”

The driver of the big-rig was not injured in the single vehicle accident when he lost control negotiating the curve.

Drew County Sheriff Deputies worked the wreck, assisted by a UAM Dept. of Safety officer who was traveling through the area.

Triple A Towing removed the big-rig, then crew members spent several hours loading the loose lumber to remove it from the scene.

Drew County OEM’s Bill Horn was also present to monitor and fuel spillage that may have taken place.

Around 2:20 am, as MASI was returning from a patient transfer to Little Rock, a tree had fallen across HWY 35 West, near the Cleveland County line.

The ambulance staff didn’t see the tree until they topped a hill, which didn’t leave time for them to stop before colliding with it.

Only MASI staff were in the vehicle, and no one received any notable injuries.

Drew County Sheriff’s deputies worked the accident.

Another MASI unit responded to the wreck, providing their staff transportation back to Monticello.

It has been a busy morning for Monticello Emergency personnel.

Around 7 am, the Fire Dept. was called to battle a fire inside of a kiln at Price Lumber.

At 11 am fire crews were still on hand, maintaining control of the burning wood, as it was removed from the kiln.

Around 10 am, MPD, SEEMS, Dan’s Wrecker, and C&L Towing responded to a 2 vehicle crash in from on McDonald’s on HWY 425, where a Toyota Avalon reportedly pulled out of Chapman Drive into the path of a northbound Pontiac.

Soon afterwards, several Monticello firefighters were called away from the Price fire, to extinguish a stove fire at Turtle Creek Apts.on West Oakland St.

Around 9 o’clock, Saturday, 4 passengers were shook up, but not injured, when the Ford Ranger pick-up truck that they were riding in, overturned in the parking lot on the south end of Lake Monticello, pinning them inside.

Monticello Fire & Rescue, Arkansas State Police, Drew County Sheriff’s Deputies, SEEMS, and an AG&F officer responded.  Dan’s Wrecker removed the vehicle from the scene.

The accident occurred on the paved parking lot, and didn’t roll down the levee, or into the water.

Around 4 pm, Tuesday afternoon, the driver a a Chevy Tahoe lost control of his vehicle, causing it to crash into a Buick Sentry, which was parked in the driveway of a residence at the corner of East Jackson and South Conley.

The Buick was then pushed into the corner of the home by the momentum of the Tahoe.

Monticello Police, assisted by the Arkansas State Police and Drew County Sheriff’s Dept. investigated the accident scene.  No one was injured.

Witnesess told police that the lady who lives there was sitting on the front porch in one of the two chairs there, reading her Bible, when the porch was hit by the vehicle.  She was not touched, but the other chair on the porch was thrown across the yard.

Myron Briggs, age 36,  was charged with drinking in public and failure to maintain control of a vehicle.   The vehicle he was driving reportedly did have insurance.

Triple A Towing and Rod’s Wrecker removed the vehicles.

Just before daylight, Tuesday, this Walmart 18-wheeler failed to see the stop sign in time to stop, on HWY 35 West, at it’s interssection with HWY 425 North.

The big rig crashed into the field across the highway, as several have before it.  Triple A Towing pulled the tractor-trailer from the pasture.

This was the scene of a fatal crash where the driver of a pick-up truck died from injuries, when he missed the stop sign, and pulled into the path of an oncoming, loaded chip truck, on Sept. 29, 2010

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Around 3 pm, near the Dayspring Behavioral facility, a white Ford Taurus, according to reports, was traveling west, and attempted to turn into a driveway at the facility.

A black Honda Accord was traveling toward Monticello, and collided with the Ford, as it turned in front of the Honda.

SEEMS and MASI each transported one driver.Several Monticello Fire & Rescue team members, along with Monticello Police responded, based on the called in description of the crash.

The Drew County Sheriff’s dept. worked the crash scene.   Dan’s Wrecker and Rod’s Wrecker removed the vehicles.

Brandon is the father of our 2 year old daughter and has two boys in a recent relationship. We are all very happy that he survived. He died twice in the ambulance, and two more times at Drew Memorial, while enduring seizures from a concussion. Honestly, I could care less who did what, and the steps they went about while doing it.  His tie-rod end and steering shaft snapped, after he had it recently welded together. 

He and I would both like to give our thanks to the SEEMS, police department, Drew Countydeputies, state troopers, fire department and the search and rescue team; because without you guys doing your work, Brandon wouldn’t be here to raise his babies.

Also we would love to thank Tyler Vance for being such a great friend! He was there before anyone else even arrived to the scene making sure his brother was okay!!

GOD bless yall! And many thanks!

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I want to say thank you to many friends, readers, and supporters, for you help, patience, and assistance over portions of the past year.

So many times covering the news, I’m around “first responders”, but didn’t really appreciate them as much as I learned to a year ago today.

I want to say “Thank You” to the Drew County Sheriff’s Dept., Monticello Police, MASI, SEEMS, and Drew Memorial ER staff, among others.

Thanks also go out to the MonticelloLive readers, for your continued loyalty and support.

Your calls, cards, and prayers were greatly appreciated.

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