Two people were arrested after breaking into a Midway business late Tuesday night. Booked into the Baxter County Detention Center were Claude Carl Rice, 42, of rural Mountain Home, and Deanna Lynn Blue, 41, of Mountain Home.
According to a Baxter County Sheriff's Office incident report, deputies were dispatched to a Midway address where there had been a recent break-in.
Officers found new tire tracks in the snow and located the truck with Rice and Blue inside. Officers found a glass pipe with wax residue and the odor of marijuana, as well as a hybrid vape pen.
Deputies tracked footprints that circled the perimeter of the A to Z Flea Market, where all entrances to the building appeared to be reached by foot. The building's owner later told investigators that a board that had been placed over a hole in the building for previous intruders to gain access had been removed during the robbery. One deputy noted that an electric screw gun with a bit for removing boards using screws was found at the scene.
When they arrived at the jail and began the booking process, jail staff discovered a counterfeit $100 bill in Rice's wallet.
Both Mr. Rice and Mr. Blue are charged with misdemeanor counts of trespassing, as well as felony counts of commercial robbery and criminal mischief.
Mr. Rice also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a Schedule VI controlled substance, as well as a felony count of forgery. He also faces a felony enhancement of being a habitual offender.
Messrs. Rice and Blue are being held on bonds totaling $20,000.
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