Benton Police officers arrested a local man on shoplifting charges, after police say he was caught by store security but then fled the scene.
James R. Oliver, 42, of Benton was arrested and charged with theft by unlawful taking under $500 and possession of drug paraphernalia. According to BPD, on Friday, June 30, police responded to the store in a shoplifting incident. Officers were told on arrival that the suspect, later identified as Oliver, had fled from Asset Protection and was running toward Wendy’s.
An employee of a nearby business stopped officers as they patrolled the area and reported that he’d seen the suspect running toward the Dollar General and Ash Street. Police spotted the suspect near storage units on Ash Street and detained him.
He was returned to Walmart, where Asset Protection employees identified him, and then arrested.
On 06/30/2017, officers with the Benton Police Department were dispatched to Wal Mart, for a shoplifter. Before arriving, officers were told told that the suspect had fled from Asset Protection and he was near Wendy’s. While driving through the area, Officer C. Curtner was stopped by an employee of a near by business. The employee advised that he saw the suspect running towards Dollar General and Ash Street. Officer Treadway spotted the suspect at the storage units on Ash Street. The suspect, James Oliver, was detained and taken to Wal Mart, where Asset Protection identified him as the suspect. James R. Oliver, 42, of Benton, was placed under arrest and charged with TBUT Shoplifting under $500 and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.