Accused murderer caught after getting stuck in chimney
ARKANSAS (WREG) — Police in Forrest City, Arkansas, were able to catch an accused murderer after he got stuck in a chimney.
Investigators say 35-year-old Elliot Stewart stabbed 28-year-old Jimmie Rogers around 4 a.m. Friday at a home. The two were reportedly arguing about a woman.
Investigators say Stewart fled when officers arrived and eventually ran to a stranger’s home. They say Stewart climbed to the roof and squeezed into the chimney.
That homeowner, who doesn’t want to be identified, says he discovered Stewart after he heard banging and cries for help coming from the chimney.
“You cannot make stuff like this up. You can’t!” he said, “I called 911. Even the 911 dispatcher asked ‘Can you please repeat that?’ And I said ‘No, you heard me correct the first time.’”
Police waited with handcuffs in hand as firefighters gathered above and below trying to determine how to get Stewart out.
“We were able to go in from the bottom,” Forrest City Fire Chief Shane Dallas said, “Started dissembling the chimney, removing some bricks and some metal bracing and things of that nature, and then we were able to assist him in sliding out.”
Stewart is charged with first degree murder. He’s currently being held at the St. Francis County Jail on a $1 million bond. No word on when he’ll make his next court appearance.
The homeowner says his chimney was not damaged even though some bricks and metal were removed.