Arkansas Police Chief Arrested for Failing to Report Abuse
By: KARK 4 News
Updated: March 27, 2012
A story that gained regional attention after a gun was pulled on a new crew has taken another strange twist. The police chief who investigated the incident that started everything has been arrested on charges of abuse of an endangered or impaired person and failure to report abuse or neglect.
According to KAIT TV, Chief Robert Kerbey has been placed under arrest. Investigators believe he was aware of the ongoing abuse of Wilton Goudeaux. Goudeaux was eventually hospitalized and died.
When a Memphis news crew visited Goudeaux's home to do a story on the investigation, a friend of the family pulled a gun on the reporter and photographer.
Original Story:
An Arkansas man pulled a gun on a reporter and photographer covering an elder abuse story in west Arkansas.
The incident occurred earlier this week in Joiner, Arkansas. The news crew went to a home where Wilton Goudeaux lived prior to his death in late February. His three caretakers, including his own son, have been arrested for allegedly abusing the elderly man.
The news crew went to the home to see if other family members were around. That's when an angry friend confronted them.
"Y'all just have to leave," said family friend Brandon Odom.
"Ok, we were just trying to find out what was going on. We weren't trying to do no harm," said reporter April Thompson.
Moments later, Odom walked to a truck and pulled out a gun. The news crew immediately informed Odom they'd be leaving and appeared to turn off the camera.
Officers say the three in jail, believed to be friends of Odom, admitted giving the elderly Goudeaux sleeping pills that knocked him out for days. Authorities are also looking into some $108,000 stolen from him and reports he had been beaten and left without food before he died. Apparently, Brandon Odom didn't want any of that told and he used a gun to show it.
Brandon Odom turned himself into police shortly after that report was filed.
