Hot Springs man charged with aggravated residential burglary after allegedly found asleep in stranger’s home

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — A Hot Springs man faces felony charges after deputies say he was found inside two different residences in the 600 block of Thornton Ferry Road in July — including one where he was discovered slouched in a chair with a stolen pair of grill tongs in his pocket.

James Allen Youngs, 36, was formally charged Wednesday in Garland County Circuit Court with two counts of aggravated residential burglary, a Class A felony, along with felony counts of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine) and possession of drug paraphernalia, and a misdemeanor count of theft of property under $1,000. Prosecutors also charged Youngs as a habitual offender, citing prior felony convictions.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed by Garland County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Justin Baker, deputies responded to a residence in the 600 block of Thornton Ferry Road around 7:30 a.m. on July 31 for a trespassing report. The resident told deputies she woke up to find an unknown man sitting on her couch. She said she did not know the man and told him to leave, and he complied and began walking up the road.

While patrolling the area for the suspect, a deputy noticed an open door at a nearby residence and, looking inside, saw a man slouched over in a chair. Deputies entered the residence and took the man into custody without incident.

During a search, deputies found a pair of grill tongs in his front pocket. The tongs were later identified as belonging to the homeowner, who told deputies she did not know the man and estimated the tongs’ value at about $10. Deputies clearing the residence found two female juveniles asleep in separate bedrooms; both said they did not know the man.

The man was identified as Youngs. During a second search before he was placed in a patrol unit, a deputy found a small plastic baggie in Youngs’ left shoe, according to the affidavit. At the Garland County Detention Center, the baggie was found to contain a white crystalline substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed approximately 3.1 grams, the affidavit states. The formal charge filed by prosecutors alleges possession of less than two grams.

An Arkansas Crime Information Center check also showed Youngs had an active failure-to-comply warrant through the Hot Springs Police Department, according to the affidavit.

Aggravated residential burglary is punishable by six to 50 years in the Arkansas Division of Correction. The felony drug and paraphernalia counts each carry up to 12 years. The habitual offender enhancement, filed under Arkansas Code Annotated 5-4-501, alleges Youngs has previously been convicted of more than one but fewer than four felonies.

The charging document, signed by Prosecuting Attorney Michelle C. Lawrence of the 18th Judicial District East, was filed Sept. 2 in Garland County Circuit Court. Youngs was arrested July 31 and bond was set at $15,000.

Youngs remains in Garland County Detention Center with a parole hold.

Charges are accusations, and Youngs is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.