A northern Arkansas man and his wife were arrested after officials discovered stolen items, methamphetamine, and many tablets laced with the lethal narcotic fentanyl.
Heather Allison Coleman, 45, of Yellville, Ark., and her husband, Kenneth E. Coleman, 48, of Harrison, Ark., have been charged by Hannibal authorities with felony narcotics trafficking.
Related posts
Heather was also charged with possessing a controlled drug.
According to court documents, the arrest happened on Thursday, June 19, after a store manager informed officers that the suspect was shoplifting in the 400 block of Huck Finn Shopping Center.
A vehicle that matched the description provided by the manager was stopped in a Walmart parking lot.
Investigators said the driver, Heather Coleman, was uncooperative with the responding officer, initially lying about her involvement and refusing to let the officer check her car.
Heather was detained, and her vehicle was searched.
Officers discovered clothing from Walmart in the car, along with other stolen items.
According to the documents, the vehicle’s license plates were stolen in Springfield, Missouri, and magnetically installed on top of the original Arkansas plates.
Officers also discovered a baggie containing approximately one gram of a crystal-like material, consistent with methamphetamine.
Coleman’s husband, Kenneth, was still shopping inside Walmart. According to court documents, he informed authorities that they were in Hannibal to reconcile their separated marriage.
He gave investigators permission to look through his belongings, and they found magnets that are commonly used to take down store security systems.
Inside a toiletry bag, investigators discovered four pill bottles containing various pressed capsules.
The pills tested positive for fentanyl. There were 334 capsules overall.
Heather and Kenneth are both in Marion County Jail, on cash bonds of $75,000 each.
Heather has a long criminal history of stealing in several places, including Missouri and Iowa, where she is still on bond.
Heather’s next court appearance is a bond hearing scheduled on June 27.
