A 41-year-old man considered armed and dangerous is on the run in east Arkansas after escaping the Brinkley jail on foot early Thursday, grabbing an officer's Taser and assaulting people during his getaway. Rodney Smith was last seen walking along railroad tracks in Brinkley, roughly 70 miles west of Memphis, wearing a white T-shirt, yellow pants and white socks — no shoes.
According to WREG.com, Smith escaped from the Brinkley Police Department detention center on foot Thursday and was last tracked walking the tracks nearby, with Arkansas State Police attributing those details. The same outlet reports Smith has a prior arrest history that includes aggravated robbery and domestic battery, and that officials have urged the public not to approach him under any circumstances.
Accounts differ in how they describe the two people Smith assaulted during the escape. Nwaonline.com reported that Smith escaped the Brinkley jail Thursday morning “after assaulting two officers,” while a separate account cited by the same outlet said Smith assaulted a jailer and a Brinkley police officer during his escape. Nwaonline.com also reports that he took an officer's Taser during the escape, which occurred on foot around 7:15 a.m.
Armed and Dangerous, Officials Say
Officials describe Smith as armed and dangerous, according to kark.com, which reported he is a 5-foot-10-inch Black man weighing 260 pounds. The station's report notes Smith was being held in Brinkley pending bed-space availability in the state prison system at the time of his escape.
Per the same account, Smith was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, yellow pants and white socks, without shoes. Brinkley is located in Monroe County, in east Arkansas, roughly 70 miles west of Memphis.
Search Effort Expands Across Agencies
Arkansas State Police are assisting in the search, as are Brinkley police, according to nwaonline.com. Department of Corrections dog teams are also assisting in the search, the outlet reported, as authorities work to track Smith's movements from the railroad tracks where he was last spotted.
Anyone who sees Smith or has information is asked to call 911, Brinkley police at 870-734-3434, or Arkansas State Police Troop D at 870-633-1454, per kark.com's report. Officials have stressed that Smith should not be approached.
A History of Forgery, Escape and Probation Violations
Court records tied to Smith's name show a pattern of brushes with the justice system predating Thursday's escape. According to an appellate opinion from CourtListener in the case Rodney Dewayne Smith v. State of Arkansas, Smith pleaded guilty in May 2021 to first-degree forgery and third-degree escape and was sentenced to four years of probation.
