Ark. police arrest man in death of TV anchorwoman
Related Topics: LITTLE ROCK, Ark.
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In this photo released by the Little Rock Police Department Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2008, suspect Curtis Lavelle Vance is shown in Little Rock, Ark. Vance, of Marianna, Ark., is wanted for the murder of Little Rock television anchor Anne Pressly in October.
Curtis Lavelle Vance, 28, fled his Marianna home earlier Wednesday with a 25-year-old woman and three children under age 5, Little Rock Police Chief Stuart Thomas said. Lt. Terry Hastings, a police spokesman, said Vance was arrested without incident at a home in Little Rock around 11 p.m.
"We got a tip. We went there and he's in custody," Hastings said early Thursday. "As far as we know he wasn't armed."
Hastings said Vance knew officers had been seeking him. Thomas said before the arrest that Vance was believed to be armed with a 9mm pistol and "a lot of extra ammunition."
Anne Pressly, 26, died Oct. 25, five days after being severely beaten in the head and upper torso in her home. The anchorwoman's mother found her a half-hour before she was due on KATV's "Daybreak" program, after she didn't answer her daily wake-up call. She never regained consciousness.
Thomas said at a late-evening news conference that the capital murder charge against Vance was based on "a very, very solid case due to solid detective work." He offered no details, however.
Hastings had said previously that DNA and other evidence from the scene gave police a portrait of the suspect, though they did not have a name until this month. One of Pressly's credit cards was used at a gas station after the beating, but Hastings said security camera footage didn't provide a good look at the person using it.
Pressly lived alone in the city's Pulaski Heights section, a mix of mansions and bungalows near the Little Rock Country Club. Her mother was visiting from out of town at the time of the attack but not staying at her daughter's home.
In the police station lobby before the news conference, several of Pressly's KATV colleagues quietly wiped tears from their faces. The station raised $50,000 for a reward fund.
Thomas said Vance frequently visited the Little Rock area, about 90 miles west of Marianna, and has a lot of contacts there.
Pressly was a native of Greenville, S.C., and moved with her family to Little Rock while she was in high school. She was a graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., which has discussed establishing a scholarship to honor her.
In the Oliver Stone movie "W" - the subject of a news story she covered as the film was being shot in Shreveport, La. - Pressly appeared briefly as a conservative commentator who speaks favorably of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" event on an aircraft carrier after the start of the Iraq War.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Wanted Suspect: Curtis Lavelle Vance
Images courtesy of KLRT Fox 16
Pay attention folks. This is a serious post. The person above is Curtis Lavelle Vance. Police in Arkansas have a capital murder warrant for him. He is the main suspect in the murder of KATV news anchor Anne Pressly on Oct. 20. This case was featured on America's Most Wanted with John Walsh.
Police consider Vance armed and dangerous. They urge the public not to make contact with Vance. If you see him, call police instead.
Vance is 28 years old. He was last seen in Marianna, Ark. at around 1 p.m. Wednesday. He may be driving a black 1998 Oldsmobile Aurora with 22 inch rims and paper tags. Vance is said to be traveling with 25-year-old Sheanika Cooper and three small children.
Vance is 6 feet tall and about 240 pounds. He is carrying a 9 mm High Point pistol with extra ammunition. Call
(501) 5...
to reach the Little Rock Police Department.
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