Arkansas
Arkansas deputies searching for convicted rapist who cut off his ankle monitor
CRITTENDEN COUNTY, Ark. (WMC) – The U.S. Marshal Fugitive task force is assisting in a statewide manhunt in Arkansas for 29-year-old Tyler Watkins, a man convicted of rape in Crittenden County.
Crittenden County officials say he skipped a 9 a.m. court appearance Wednesday at the Marion circuit courthouse.
“We know that sometime between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. and he had cut off the ankle monitor and just went on the run,” said Todd Grooms, Chief Deputy of Crittenden County Sheriffs.
Crittenden County Deputy Prosecutor Michael Snell said Watkins was on trial for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old family member between 2021 to 2022.
Since Watkins was only present for part of the trial the jury was able to proceed without him and sentence Watkins to life in prison, plus an additional 176 years for the other felony charges including Child Pornography.
Action News 5 questioned Chief Deputy Grooms, asking, “Any idea where he possibly would be? Do you believe he has family in Memphis or West Memphis where he would probably run off to?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know where he would go—anywhere at this point,” said Grooms.
In the meantime, the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Office says it’s working in collaboration with Marion and West Memphis Police and the U.S. Marshals to track down his whereabouts.
“We’re trying to find anybody that he’s associated with. A vehicle he may be associated with and try to see if we can locate him. In circumstances like this, they could be anywhere,” said Grooms.
Crittenden County Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $2000 reward for Information that leads to his arrest.
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Arkansas
Arkansas women lose to Troy in Cherokee Invitational
Arkansas
Purdue lands Arkansas transfer QB Malachi Singleton
The wait is over. Purdue and Barry Odom have landed their first transfer portal commitment of the cycle, as former Arkansas quarterback Malachi Singleton is set to ink with the Boilermakers. Singleton emerged as a serious option early Thursday morning and he now gives the Boilermakers with their potential signal caller moving forward.
The former Razorback spent two seasons in Fayetteville, playing in five games this season. In those five games, Singleton completed 75% of his 28 passes for 368 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 74 yards and three scores on 15 attempts.
Singleton was a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, while being the No. 9 dual-threat quarterback in the country, according to Rivals. He chose the Razorbacks over the likes of Miami, West Virginia, Louisville, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati and others.
At 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, Singleton provides the Boilermakers with an intriguing option under center for 2025 and beyond. He flashed in limited reps as a redshirt freshman, even earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors after throwing for 207 yards and a score, as well as rushing for 44 yards and another touchdown against Ole Miss.
Barry Odom, offensive coordinator Josh Henson and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw now have their signal caller moving forward, when they needed it most. Purdue had only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster prior to Singleton’s commitment, with incoming freshman Garyt Odom and redshirt sophomore Bennett Meredith in the mix after the departures of Ryan Browne, Marcos Davila and Hudson Card.
Arkansas
Georgia Tech transfer offensive lineman signs with Arkansas
The Razorbacks made a splash in the transfer portal Thursday as Georgia Tech offensive tackle Corey Robinson II signed to play for Arkansas, according to a report from On3.
Robinson took a visit to Arkansas from Dec. 15 to 17 and had the chance to watch the Razorbacks practice in preparation for the Liberty Bowl, and the Arkansas coaching staff was able to convince him to shut things down.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Georgia native finished the 2024 season with a 69.2 offensive grade, 91.2 pass-block grade and 56.3 run-block grade on 539 snaps.
The 91.2 pass-block grade ranks No. 1 amongst Power Five offensive linemen, as Robinson didn’t allow a single sack all year for the Yellow Jackets.
2023 (Redshirt Sophomore): Appeared in 12-of-13 games and made five starts at left tackle (season opener vs. Louisville and final four games of the season vs. Clemson, Syracuse, No. 1 Georgia and UCF) … Saw action on 374 snaps, which ranked sixth among Georgia Tech offensive linemen … Helped pave the way for Georgia Tech to rush for 203.8 yards per game, good for tops in the ACC and 12th nationally … Also a key cog in an offensive front that allowed just 1.15 sacks per game, which also led the ACC and ranked 15th nationally.
2022 (Redshirt Freshman): Started all 12 games at left tackle … One of only two lineman to start at the same position each game, helping anchor an offensive front that had five different starting combinations in 12 games … Ranked second among Georgia Tech’s offensive linemen in total snaps with 735.
2021 (Kansas): Redshirted … Retained four seasons of eligibility.
High School: Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN … Was credited with 65 pancake blocks and surrendered just one sack as a senior in 2020, when he helped lead nearby Roswell H.S. to an 8-3 record, the second round of the Georgia 7-A state playoffs and more than 2,000 passing yards and 1,900 rushing yards … Invited to participate in 2020 World Bowl national combine … Selected to play in 2019 GACA all-star game … Coached at Roswell by Chris Prewett.
Personal: Majoring in business administration.
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