Two Pine Bluff Police Patrol Officers, a detective and a crime scene technician, were honored Tuesday for their work, which resulted in the arrest of a burglary suspect.
During the monthly Coffee with the Chiefs program, sponsored by Interested Citizens for Voter Registration Inc., Police Chief Jeff Hubanks recognized Officers Jason Boykin and Anthony Kirkpatrick, Detective Sgt. Michael Roberts and Crime Scene Technician Martell Hartley, and presented Certificates of Appreciation to Boykins and Kirkpatrick. Hartley and Roberts were not able to attend the program because of prior commitments.
Capt. Kelven Hadley said in a memo to Hubanks that the incident began Oct. 7, 2014, when Boykins was sent to a house in the 200 block of West 15th Avenue in response to a reported burglary. Because of blood that was present on the window blinds from a broken window, Boykins asked for a crime scene technician to come to the house.
Hartley sent to blood sample to the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory at the request of Roberts, who was the detective assigned the case, and the laboratory report resulted in the identification of a suspect, Jerry Gibson.
According to the memo from Hadley, Roberts was able to put out a BOLO (Be On The Lookout) for Gibson on Jan.28, and less than a week later, Kirkpatrick was on patrol on Olive Street when he spotted Gibson and another man and took him into custody without incident.
“The joint effort that was put together by the patrol officers, the detective and the crime scene technician show what this department is about,” Hadley said in the memo. “When we operate together, there is strength in numbers.”