officers of the Pine Bluff Police Department were dispatched to the Park View Apartments at 300 W 13th Street for a domestic disturbance call The call was said to have been called in by a family member officers were unable to get the occupants of the apartment to come to the door The male inside had also barricaded himself in the apartment and was refusing to come out and negotiators were both called to the scene to assist with the incident A standoff between law enforcement and 54-year-old Melvin Sanders went on for almost three hours before Sanders exited his apartment around 1 p.m Sanders was taken into custody by officers without incident and was transported to the Jefferson Regional Medical Center to be treated for an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in his hand officers entered the apartment and found 43-year-old Yashika Morris who was pronounced deceased from an apparent gunshot wound After his release from the Jefferson Regional Medical Center Sanders will be booked into the Jefferson County Jail for Capital Murder If anyone has any more information about this homicide they are asked to call the detective office tip line at 870-730-2106 KARK – Officials with the Pine Bluff Police Department said that a man was taken into custody and is facing capital murder charges Saturday after barricading himself in a home for three hours According to a release from the Pine Bluff Police Department officers responded to a domestic disturbance at an apartment in the 300 block of W Officers said that when they arrived at the apartment they were unable to get the occupants to answer the door Police said that a man later identified as 54-year-old Melvin Sanders refused to come out and barricaded himself in the apartment Following a standoff that included the S.W.A.T police said that Sanders left the apartment after almost three hours and surrendered Police said that he was taken to a local hospital and treated for an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the hand Police said that after searching the apartment they found the body of 43-year-old Yashika Morris suffering from gunshot wounds and she was pronounced dead at the scene Officials said Sanders will be booked in the Jefferson County Jail after his release from the hospital Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the detective office’s tip line at 870-730-2106 the detective office at 870-730-2090 or the dispatch center at 870-541-5300.  Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals Thanks for visiting The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here – Police in Pine Bluff said a girl who was reported missing on Thursday was found safe Authorities said the 12-year-old was reported missing from the 3800 block of Scenic Drive in Pine Bluff “We want to extend our sincere gratitude to the community and everyone who shared the alert and provided information Your swift actions and continued support played a crucial role in bringing Jasmine home safely,” officials with the PBPD said Police officials did not release any additional details on where the child was found LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — The Pine Bluff Police Department Vice & Narcotics Division was engaged in an extensive investigation into smoke shops that were selling marijuana products containing an illegal amount of THC concentration According to Arkansas State Statute 5-64-215 the sale of hemp-based cannabidiol products which holds no more than 0.3% Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in dry weight form is permitted PBPD stated in a Facebook post that THC-A products and federal hemp laws not being fully understood is likely what caused the disconnect in understanding Shop owners included in the investigation said that they believed they were following Arkansas law The department launched the city-wide effort to start examining smoke shops on June 25 Products were later seized and submitted to the Arkansas State Crime Lab for testing Results from examinations showed that products picked up from the smoke shops had THC concentrations classified as being above the legal threshold Every known smoke shop in the city was later visited by Vice and Narcotics Detectives and all marijuana products labeled as THC-A were seized Owners were instructed to remove all illegal products from the shops immediately and halt future sales after detectives returned to their place of business to issue cease-and-desist orders Some businesses acted upon the order made by PBPD and ceased further sales while others continued to illegally sell and will now face criminal charges PBPD urges all retailers to swiftly remove THC-A flower products and also any chemically induced cannabinoid products from shelves if the items are over legal THC limits For those who have questions or would like to share tips on suspected illegal activity contact the Pine Bluff Police Department Vice & Narcotics Division at (870)-543-5119 – Questions about the legality of hemp sales in smoke shops led to Pine Bluff police officers seizing 45 pounds of illegal products containing marijuana A department release said the investigation began in June 2024 when detectives with the department’s vice and narcotics division began investigating smoke shops for selling illegal marijuana products labeled THC-A Detectives said shop owners told them what was being sold was a legal hemp product with less than 0.3% THC—the active ingredient in marijuana—in accordance with federal and Arkansas law Officials said products tested by the state crime lab showed to have THC above the legal threshold Detectives then visited area smoke shops and seized all flower products labeled THC-A Shop owners were told the products would be tested and if found to have illegal amounts of THC the shop would receive a cease-and-desist order and others continued to sell the illegal products which have been turned over to the county prosecutor’s office.  – Police in Pine Bluff are investigating after a man was killed in an overnight apartment shooting According to the Pine Bluff Police Department officers responded to an apartment complex just after 2:30 a.m at 2600 West 30th Avenue to help medical personnel with an unresponsive man officers said they found 26-year-old Asa Stewart lying at the top of a staircase in the center of the apartment building Officers said he had been shot and was later pronounced dead at the scene Investigators said there is no suspect information at this time and the motive of the shooting is unknown Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact detectives at 870-730-2106 the detective office at 870-730-2090 or dispatchers at 870-541-5300 Thanks for visiting – Pine Bluff police are investigating after two pharmacies were broken into on March 26.  Authorities said the first incident took place at Doctors Orders Pharmacy located at 2302 W Police say the suspects broke a window to gain entry around 4:12 a.m Surveillance shows two masked individuals entering shortly after A vial of chemotherapy medication valued at $17,600 was stolen The next stop for the criminals was Flowers Pharmacy located at 1401 S Owner Clifford Flowers said the thieves stole about $5,000 worth of items about $3,000 worth of collectible coins and certain drugs like Xanax and hydrocodone.  “They almost got 3,000 pills from me,” Flowers said. “They were specific about what they were stealing.” Flowers said the theft is affecting business.  “I had a couple of patients to come down with some hydrocodone prescription and I wasn’t able to fill them and I had to explain to them why,” Flowers said the suspects in each incident used similar methods that involved crawling to avoid detection and disabled or ineffective alarms Flowers said he only has one message to those who did this.  “You need to correct your ways,” he said “You need to repent and come to Jesus Christ.” Pine Bluff police are still searching for the suspects involved they encourage local businesses to review and upgrade their security systems.  Anyone with information regarding the burglaries is asked to call the detective office tip line at 870-730-2106 (KATV) — A Pine Bluff woman was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for lying to a grand jury the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas confirmed today She was charged with one count of false declarations before a grand jury She pled guilty to the charge on December 5 The perjury occurred when Collins was subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury on March 2 as part of a federal investigation into ammunition possessed by convicted felons during a fatal shooting in Pine Bluff Collins repeatedly denied being with the suspects on the night the shooting happened even though surveillance footage from a nearby business showed her with the suspects immediately before the shooting Collins admitted that she had lied to the jury Collins also faces three years of supervised release (KATV) — The Pine Bluff Police Department responded to a report of a fatal traffic collision on South Hazel Street around 11:01 p.m A preliminary investigation has revealed that 37-year-old Matthew Williams while 38-year-old Darrion William was traveling north on South Hazel Street White Hall mourns beloved coach Matt Williams after tragic accident claims his life causing Darrion to be ejected from his vehicle He was then transported to Jefferson Regional Medical Center where he is in critical condition Matthew was pronounced dead at the scene by Jefferson County Deputy Coroner Eric Belcher This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with any information on this incident should call the detective office tip line at 870-730-2106 Game Recap: Baseball | 3/1/2025 3:10:00 AM | Valerie Rudd Texas – The Wildcats continued to build momentum Friday night fending off a ninth-inning rally to claim a 4-3 victory over the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Crutcher Scott Field Strong pitching and timely execution at the plate helped the Wildcats secure their fourth win of the season ACU's Dominick Reid delivered an outstanding performance on the mound going eight innings while allowing just one run on four hits The right-hander kept UAPB off balance all night striking out nine batters and not issuing a single walk retiring the Golden Lions in order in four different innings With a 4-1 lead heading into the ninth, Brady Coe was called upon to close the door UAPB managed to push across two runs with back-to-back hits and a two-run double but Coe held his composure and struck out Jaylon Nauden to strand the tying run on second ACU's offense got going early thanks to Grant Watkins who launched a two-run home run to left-center in the second inning giving the Wildcats a lead they would never relinquish Watkins finished the night 2-for-2 with two RBIs Thanks for visiting (KATV) — Following the termination of Chief of Police Denise Richardson and resignation of Fire Chief Shauwn Howell the City of Pine Bluff has begun making moves to finding candidates to fill these positions the city announced the appointing of Deputy Chief Shirley Warrior as Interim Police Chief and Randy Compton as Interim Fire & Emergency Services Both appointments reflect decades of service leadership and community commitment to the city of Pine Bluff Deputy Chief Shirley Warrior has been with the Pine Bluff Police Department since July 26 serving in multiple divisions including Patrol Warrior currently is a supervisor of the Public Relations/Community Oriented Policing and Service Division and plays a vital role in the Group Violence Intervention Program graduating from Pine Bluff High School in 1979 before going on to graduate from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Randy Compton is also a native of Pine Bluff and has been a member of Pine Bluff Fire & Emergency Services Compton graduated from Watson Chapel High School in 1984 and went on to obtain a B.A in Criminal Justice with a minor in Education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in 2012 With his credentials as a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator and Nationally Certified Firefighter he has worked with multiple agencies such as the FBI Jefferson County Sheriff's Department Compton is also a member of the National Association of Fire Investigators and serves on the Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board Mayor Flowers expressed confidence in both appointments “Both Interim Chief Warrior and Interim Chief Compton exemplify excellence in public service and deep-rooted dedication to the safety and well-being of our community Their experience and leadership will be instrumental in maintaining stability and guiding our public safety departments as we conduct a search for the best permanent leaders for our critical public safety departments.” In addition to the naming of these interim chiefs the City of Pine Bluff has also created a Search Committee consisting of leaders from law enforcement to find permanent Chiefs for both positions Thanks for visiting A vehicle that was submerged in water near the Regional Park Softball Complex in Pine Bluff was recovered by a member of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Dive Team AR (KATV) — A vehicle that was submerged in water near the Regional Park Softball Complex in Pine Bluff was recovered by a member of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Dive Team after JCSO was notified by another law enforcement agency The sheriff's office's Criminal Investigations Division learned that the vehicle was in a creek behind the softball complex and the investigation showed that the vehicle was underwater JCSO Criminal Investigations Division Commander Lieutenant Dennis Kendal along with the JCSO Dive Team's effort successfully removed the vehicle out of the water It was confirmed to be a 1997 Nissan Altima Investigators are currently working to find the vehicle's registered owner AR — We're hearing more from Pine Bluff City officials about what's behind the changes at the police and fire departments Mayor Vivian Flowers has said that the firing of police chief Denise Richardson was not a matter of performance but moving the department in a different direction Mayor Flowers accepted Fire Chief Shauwn Howell's letter of resignation for retirement We sat down with the mayor to find out what's behind all the changes "Because I've talked a lot about transparency and accountability I think there are great expectations," said Flowers "We have a lot of changes to make but in the meantime one of the things that I'm happy to report that we will put in place is for our Director of Human Resources in the future will in 24 hours share any and all appointments and hirings with city council members first." The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) recently announced a $1 million gift provided to the university from the estate of Hildegard Karlin The multilevel gift establishes a new endowment Arthur and Hildegard Karlin Scholarship Fund” in Accounting which is part of a broader bequest from Dr Arthur and Hildegard Karlin to various charities and recipients focuses on providing educational and research support to expand opportunities for UAPB students and faculty and strengthening learning experiences in accounting fields of study Included in the broader intent of the gift is funding that supports faculty and student travel the award highlights the University’s growing impact and strong reputation for advancing educational access and promoting social mobility “The extraordinary generosity of the late Dr Arthur and Hildegard Karlin reflects a deep and lasting belief in the transformative power of education,” Dr “This $1 million gift will not only open doors for our students and faculty but it also affirms the legacy and excellence of UAPB as one of Arkansas’ premier HBCUs.” Stewart also emphasized the importance of the gift’s adaptable nature “having flexible funding is essential as we equip our students to navigate and lead in an ever-evolving global economy—particularly in such high-demand fields like accounting and finance We are profoundly grateful for this investment in our future and we will honor the Karlin legacy by continuing to empower the next generation of scholars and leaders.” is one of the largest individual estate gifts to Arkansas’ largest and oldest HBCU UAPB vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement emphasized the importance of the Karlin gift to the university and the region.  He and UAPB Director of Donor Relations worked with Relyance Bank in managing the gift process “The size and nature of the Karlin donation to UAPB represents a significant confirmation of the great work that this university has made in providing a quality education It also serves a reminder to others of the impact that each one of us can all make in supporting UAPB as we think about our individual giving and building the next generation of scholars.” Relyance Bank managing executive for the Karlin Estate indicates that the generosity of the Karlins continues to point to a well-lived life “I am very pleased to be able to facilitate the Karlins’ generosity to UAPB,” said Cummings “As we move forward with awarding the gift Relyance Bank remains committed to working with the University in making a difference in the lives of UAPB students and faculty.” The Karlins’ philanthropic support has extended to more than a dozen charities and individuals Arthur Karlin previously served as a member of the UAPB Accounting Faculty Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email (KATV) — A program working to revitalize parts of Pine Bluff just finished its first home The developers behind the project tell us the house took five months to build They plan on putting up even more before the year ends The staging takes place inside while crews pour concrete outside Evan Jones is the Marketing Director for the We Build Channel 7 crews came out a year ago near 13th Street in Pine Bluff when the program started buying empty lots and tearing down abandoned properties to build affordable homes and now they just finished their first home--it's around 1100 square feet - 3 bedrooms and two bathrooms "It's a beautiful thing to see something that most people would look over and invest in and to see it blossom and they will want to be a part of this great movement," said Jones Jones says - we center we build walks people through becoming first-time homeowners They're also training youth in their apprenticeship program to build houses We're told the type of change they want to see will happen one house at a time the impact you can make on the community is invaluable to me Coming back to this city and knowing the bad reputation that this city has had because of crime and poor investment in the inner city," said Jones We Center, We Build is planning to build eight more fully furnished homes right next to the one they finished. To learn more, click here. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Pine Bluff library break-in leads to arrest of 30-year-old suspectby Daniela Dehaghani (KATV) — A 30-year-old man was arrested early Friday morning after being caught breaking into the Pine Bluff Library was apprehended on the night of February 8th after security footage from the library revealed him forcibly entering the building The man has been charged with residential burglary as well as criminal mischief in the 1st degree for causing damage to the property with a value exceeding $500 Police allege that the suspect attempted to steal materials or cause further harm to the building though specifics on what was taken or damaged have not yet been fully confirmed The suspect was arrested at approximately 2:25 a.m and is currently being held on a $50,000 secured bond Concerns have been raised throughout the community as a result of the act It has also led to concerns on the state of security measures at public facilities in Pine Bluff especially as the library is a key community resource The judge overseeing the case has yet to determine a trial date though investigators continue to process the scene for additional evidence Authorities are encouraging anyone with further information about the break-in to come forward.