According to his report, Independence County Sheriff Shawn Stephens said he was recently in the Batesville Walmart when he saw a man take a bottle from a soft drink six-pack, lay the rest on the floor, and then rush away.
In the report, the sheriff said he hurried to the front of the store and saw the suspect, Buford T. Furgason, 34, in the process of leaving the store.
After Stephens stopped Furgason and asked why he did not pay for the items he had in his hands, Furgason said he was going to pay.
In his hands, Furgason had an empty soft drink bottle and a bottle of peroxide that had already been opened. The sheriff told him that in Walmart, one cannot just purchase one bottle of a soft drink out of a six-pack.
Since the suspect had a search waiver on file, the sheriff patted him down, checking for illegal contraband. The search found a tube of tanning lotion and a glass smoking pipe in each of the side pockets, the report said.
The sheriff asked Furgason about the pipes, and he told the sheriff the pipes were not what they appeared to be.
The sheriff said to him they appear to be used to smoke dope.
Furgason, according to the report, said: “I know you’re not going to believe me, but these are not my clothes I have on.” The sheriff said he explained to Furgason that if he was going to wear someone else’s clothes, he might want to make sure and take out any illegal contraband that might be in the pockets.
Furgason was placed in custody and issued a citation for theft of property and possessing instruments of crime.
His court date was set for June 3, 2020, in Independence County District Court.
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In other news from the sheriff’s department, one arrest was made this weekend after deputies responded to two domestic violence situations.
Sheriff Stephens said the suspect who was arrested is being charged. In the second case, the victim refused to cooperate with information about what occurred. The victim told authorities that they did not wish to press charges, although they were calling the police to the scene when the violence was occurring.
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