An El Dorado man who was already being held in the Union County Jail on drug charges was arrested Wednesday for allegedly attacking another man who briefly went missing in the days following the attack.
Michael S. Eggleston, 37, appeared Wednesday in 35th Judicial District Court for first-degree battery, aggravated assault, robbery and theft of property.
Bonds totaling $130,000 have been issued for Eggleston, who was initially arrested last week on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine, possession of a controlled substance (Suboxone).
Eggleston had been identified as a suspect in the attack on 47-year-old Wayne A. Cheatham, also of El Dorado.
Eggleston was still being held in the Union County Jail Wednesday when El Dorado police served an arrest warrant in connection to the battery, which was reported on Aug. 23.
Police responded then to a call of someone lying in the street and found Cheatham injured in the area of West Hillsboro and Russell.
Cheatham was transported to Medical Center of South Arkansas twice to be treated for injuries he sustained in the attack.
Police said his face was covered in dried blood when they found him, and they later saw that his eyes were badly bruised and swollen.
Cheatham said his right eye socket had been fractured. He told police that a friend, Eggleston, had beaten him unconscious and run over him with a vehicle the previous night.
Cheatham said he was riding around with Eggleston when Eggleston became angry “because he could not find any drugs.”
He said Eggleston beat him unconscious and then ran over him with his vehicle. Police said Cheatham had tire tread marks on his face.
Cheatham also said his cellphone and nearly $800 cash was missing.
On Monday, Cheatham’s mother reported that she had not seen him since Aug. 23. Police learned Tuesday that Cheatham had been found safe in Smackover.
Eggleston had been arrested on Aug. 24 by the Union County Sheriff’s Office on the drug charges.
A team of local and federal law enforcement agencies had gone to 188 Fennell Road to serve a federal arrest warrant for Kasey J. Doss Murphy, 38.
Murphy is also being held in the Union County Jail on a parole hold for the U.S. Marshals and an Arkansas Community Correction warrant for parole violation.
Eggleston was at the Fennel Road residence when the team served the warrant for Doss Murphy, and he was taken into custody by the UCSO.
Eggleston made his first appearance in district court on Friday on the drug charges. Bond was set then at $100,000, cash or corporate surety.
On Wednesday, Judge Jack Barker issued a sheriff’s bond of $30,000 for the additional charges of battery, aggravated assault, robbery and theft of property.
Eggleston retained Little Rock attorney John Landis, according to information provided by district court.
If he is released from the Union County Jail on bond, Eggleston must wear a GPS monitoring device, per court order.
Arson and robbery
A Smackover man who faces four counts of arson and other felony charges also made his first appearance in district court on Wednesday.
David Holmes Sr., 63, is accused of deliberately setting several fires to houses and vehicles within a matter of minutes Monday in El Dorado.
No injuries or major damage were reported.
Holmes was also identified as a suspect in a robbery that was reported on Sunday, in which the victim said Holmes snatched at least $40 cash from her during a scuffle at a local convenience store.
The woman who reported the robbery told police a day later that Holmes set fire to her vehicle in the 1100 block of East Barnes.
Just prior to and after the incident on East Barnes, police received two other calls about fires being set to the front door and a vehicle at a residence in the 1000 block of East Cook and a vehicle on Pye Court.
Holmes was also listed as a possible suspect in those incidents, with the complainants saying Holmes had issued threats against them and their family members.
All of the incidents were reported just before 8 p.m.
Police later learned that Holmes had gone to the Emergency Room of Medical Center of South Arkansas to be treated for a medical issue.
Officers received reports of disorderly behavior from Holmes, and he was taken into custody at MCSA after police struck him several times with a stun gun to subdue him.
Holmes was arrested on four counts of arson, robbery, theft of property, refusal to submit to arrest, DWI, refusal to submit to a breath or blood test, no liability insurance and no seatbelt.
For the robbery charge, bond was set Wednesday at $500,000, cash or corporate surety.
Bond was not granted for the arson charges.
Barker explained that Holmes will be held in the Union County Jail and the arson charges will be bound over to Union County Circuit Court for further proceedings.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.