TEXARKANA, Ark. -- A man arrested at the beginning of June on firearm charges was re-arrested a week later on a charge of violating the Arkansas sex offender registration law.
Terrance Lee Blair, 59, has posted bond in both cases and has updated his registry information, Texarkana Arkansas Police Department said in a news release.
Blair was first arrested on June 1 after investigators with the Bi-State Narcotics Task Force, Police Department and Miller County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant in the 400 block of Ferguson Street. The warrant was the result of an investigation into the distribution of illegal firearms by a convicted felon, the release states.
A trove of weapons and explosive devices reportedly was discovered during the search.
"Detectives located 34 firearms, two stolen firearms; two grenades (both discovered to be inert); two mortar rounds (both inert but containing active blasting caps); and two CS gas canisters (tear gas)," according to police.
Explosive ordinance teams from El Dorado Police Department and Little Rock Air Force Base were dispatched to safely dispose of the explosives.
Blair was charged with 35 counts of possession of a firearm by certain persons, four counts of criminal use of prohibited weapons and two counts of theft by receiving (firearm).
While out on bond, Blair was re-arrested June 8 after investigators discovered he was in violation of Arkansas' sex offender registration law for not reporting another residence.
Blair was convicted in Texas in 1997 for continuous sexual exploitation of a child, starting when the girl was 3. The conviction included a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender, according to the Texas Public Safety Offender Website.
Blair had listed an address in the 2200 block of County Avenue as his residence, which he used to register as a sex offender, according to a TAPD affidavit.
When he met with TAPD officers in January to verify his registration, Blair again stated his residence was on County Avenue and that his only vehicle was a dark-green Saturn, the affidavit states. He also was given copies of the registration verification forms he signed.
On June 1, Blair was driving a black Ford 150 when he was stopped and arrested on a firearm possession charge. He allegedly told police he lived on Ferguson Street.
"Blair then changed his story and indicated that his sister has a bedroom at the residence which contains her firearms," the affidavit states.
A license plate check showed the Ford was registered to Blair, according to the affidavit.
A search of the Ferguson Street property "revealed one bedroom which contained a firearm in a safe and men's clothing," the affidavit states. Utility bills, tax paperwork and other mail listed Blair's name and the Ferguson Street address, indicating to police that Blair owned and lived at the property.
"No evidence of female clothing, female toiletries, or general female items were found," the affidavit states.
Blair posted bond Thursday on the failure-to-register charge.
In the first two weeks of June, the Police Department has made at least three major firearms arrests. The other arrests came this week.
Kadrien Williams, 18, and Sequoia Green, 20, and six juveniles have been charged with criminal trespass, theft by receiving (firearm), defacing a firearm and possession of handguns by a minor after their arrests at an apartment complex.
At 9 p.m. Wednesday, officers were dispatched to 600 Price Lane for suspicious activity in a vacant apartment. The caller advised there had been reports of people going in and out of the apartment over the past few weeks.
When officers entered the apartment, they reportedly found eight people inside. The people allegedly attempted to flee through a back door but were quickly apprehended by other officers waiting outside.
Valari Owen, 34, of Fouke, Arkansas, was arrested Wednesday on several felony charges, including the possession of about $370,000 in fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
Owen's arrest came after officers executed a search warrant at Super 8 Motel, 325 E. 51st St., where Owen had rented a room. The warrant was the result of an investigation into the distribution of illicit narcotics.
Cpl. Les Munn, public information officer for Texarkana Arkansas Police Department, said the recent arrests are unrelated.
This photo provided Texarkana Arkansas Police Department shows the more than 30 firearms confiscated during a search of a residence in the 400 block of Ferguson Street on June 1, 2023, in Texarkana, Ark. Terrance Lee Blair, 59, has been arrested and charged with a number of firearm-related felonies. (Photo courtesy Texarkana Arkansas Police Department)
TERRANCE LEE BLAIR