The man charged with selling and trading shotguns owned by the Ashdown School District shooting team pleaded guilty Monday to theft of property and was sentenced to four years probation.
Terry Simmons, 41, of Little River County, changed his plea to guilty for two counts of theft of property and was sentenced by Ninth Circuit Court Judge Tom Cooper in the Little River County Circuit Court in Ashdown.
Simmons, represented by Ashdown attorney Mickey Buchanan, must pay a $2,000 fine and $1,428.86 in restitution. He has six months to pay the school district restitution.
He was assessed a court cost of $220 and a $250 DNA fee.
Theft of property is a Class D felony that carries a potential sentence of up to six years in prison or a maximum fine of $10,000.
On Jan. 12, 2015, Sheriff Gary Gregory contacted Arkansas State Police Special Agent Hays McWhirter about the theft of shotguns stored in the gun safe at the sheriff's office.
The arrest affidavit states the two guns were valued at less than $2,500.
The guns were originally purchased May 15, 2008, from Gander Mountain in Texarkana, Texas, and included six Benelli Nova shotguns and four Stoeger Condor shotguns. The money used to buy the guns came from an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission grant. The $3,518 grant was to promote gun safety and hunting skills.
Simmons, a teacher, was involved with the shooting team and had access to the guns.
In late 2014, faculty member Debbie Greathouse took over as director for the shooting team, according to the arrest affidavit. She asked that the 10 shotguns be stored in a safe at the sheriff's office. On Dec. 10, 2014, Simmons and Greathouse went to the sheriff's office and Simmons unlocked the safe. It contained only three shotguns.
Simmons then brought three shotguns to the office from his vehicle. Simmons said the guns had been at his house.
"Only one of the three shotguns was a Benelli like the school purchases. There are four Benelli shotguns now in the safe," according to the affidavit.
On Jan. 3, 2014, Simmons went to Davis and Jones Pawn in Ashdown and sold or traded three guns and a Stoeger 20-gauge shotgun. Simmons got a Winchester 270 Model 70 for the four guns, the affidavit states.
On March 27, 2014, Simmons reportedly went to the pawn shop and sold or traded one rifle and a Benelli shotgun for a Browning .243 rifle.
The report states the state police went to the pawn shop Jan. 12, 2015, and met with Dylan Davis about the allegations.
Davis said he never bought any broken guns from Simmons. State police confirmed the serial numbers on the Stoeger and Benelli 20-gauge shotguns, affirming the guns belonged to the Ashdown School District.