Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Clark Co. Man Arrested; Involved In 1988 Prescott Murder

A man associated with the murder of a Prescott convenience store clerk in 1988 and recently released from prison has been arrested in Clark County on drug related charges.

Dennis Leeper was arrested Thursday, August 3, by Clark County Sheriff's Deputies, U.S. Postal Inspectors and Arkansas State Police special agents at a residence near Okolona.

Leeper's arrest stemmed from an investigation involving the unlawful shipment of controlled substances through U.S. Mail.

A search warrant was executed at a home on Meeks Road and resulted in the seizure of about 10 pounds of marijuana according to officials.

Leeper, 36, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a Class B felony. If convicted, he could be punished by not less than five years nor more than 10 years.

An investigation started in Los Angeles, Calif., by U.S. Postal Inspectors. Inspectors routinely conduct searches, through the use of drug dogs of parcel that travel through mail in an effort to both interdict the drugs and to identify person who send and receive them.

Information from Los Angeles officers led to a follow-up by Little Rock inspectors. This led to the request of help for search warrant through Clark County Sheriff Troy Tucker.

According to Tucker, "It is a federal offense to ship controlled substances through mail and there are statutes prohibiting the possession and possession with the intent to distribute them.

"While it is suspected that drugs are sent through the mail everyday, it is a very risky proposition and routine interdiction efforts also uncover these activities on a daily basis and the result is arrest and prosecution."

Formal charges have been filed against Leeper by Prosecuting Attorney Henry Morgan of Arkadelphia. Leeper was formally arraigned before Circuit Judge John Thomas.

Leeper was sentenced to 18 years for his role in the 1988 murder of a clerk at a local convience store as the driver of the vehicle, while the murderer, Kirt Wainright, was sentenced to death. Wainright was executed by lethal injection in 1997.

Leeper, at that time of the 1988 murder, was already on probation from Clark County stemming from burglary charges.