By Ray King
Two Pine Bluff men were arrested Tuesday after they allegedly entered a business on Blake Street and took two antique signs.
Justin Wooten, 37, and Michael James, 28, were taken into custody by sheriff’s deputies as they walked on Blake Street, Deputy Prosecutor Mircha King said during a court hearing Thursday.
King said at 4:24 p.m., police were sent to JD. Smith Wrecking Company at 1920 S. Blake St., in response to a reported breaking or entering.
When Wooten was questioned, he said he knew about the antique signs at the wrecking yard and he and James entered the property through a hole in the fence, took the signs, then hid them in the woods before leaving.
King said Wooten has a case pending from 2019 and there is no record that he bonded out but that could have been during COVID when people arrested were being released on their own recognizance.
Because of the pending case, Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set a $15,000 cash-only bond for Wooten and a $15,000 secured bond for James after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge them with breaking or entering. They were told to come back to court on Oct. 3.
