ASP recover last of 4 missing vehicles; suspect arrested

ARKANSAS (KSLA) - Arkansas State Police troopers arrested 20-year-old Traishaad Thompson just before noon Tuesday in southwest Little Rock.

State Police and other law enforcement agencies had been looking for Thompson for his alleged role in stealing four decommissioned State Police vehicles.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Thompson charging him with theft by receiving earlier this week. Police said Thompson has recently resided in the community of Strong, east of El Dorado, but was known to regularly travel to Little Rock.

On Sept. 20, police said a third vehicle, a Dodge Charger, was recovered in southwest Little Rock, a short distance from where the first vehicle, a Dodge Durango, was recovered last week. Also last Wednesday, a Dodge Charger was found abandoned near the Huttig community in Union County.

Tuesday, authorities said the last of the four vehicles was recovered after being spotted by State Police helicopter pilots. The vehicle was parked in the area of University Avenue and Forbing Road in Little Rock.

The vehicles were reportedly stolen from the department's administrative headquarters auto storage lot. The lot is in a locked fence area of the department's headquarters property at I-30 and Geyer Springs Road.

All of the vehicles were waiting to transfer to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Marketing and Redistribution warehouse. State Police markings and emergency equipment had been removed from the vehicles in advance of the planned transfer to the warehouse.

A State Police motor vehicle fleet audit last Wednesday identified the specific vehicles that were stolen.

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