Repeat Criminal Offender To Appear In Grant County Circuit Court

Omari Artyce Coats faces one misdemeanor and three felony charges, including rape from July 1 incident

“What is going on the corner of Grant 691???? Police everywhere and not allowing ppl to get to their homes on 691. Not allowing ppl to leave either.”

That was a post on July 1 in a Sheridan Facebook group that landed 89 questions and comments and a lot of speculation.

What actually occurred was a brutal domestic abuse situation with the alleged abuser on the run from law enforcement.

On July 3, Grant County Sheriff Pete Roberts released the following statement on Facebook. 

Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Howell charged the 22-year-old suspect – Omari Artyce Coats of Alexander –  with rape, a Class Y felony; residential burglary, a Class B felony; theft of property, a Class D felony; and third degree domestic battery, a Class A misdemeanor. 

Warning: The affidavit in support of Coats’ arrest is extremely graphic regarding rape. South Arkansas Reckoning redacted one graphic scene from the report.

Coats’ 2022 arrest

Coats is no stranger to law enforcement.

Some people questioned last week why Coats wasn't already in jail because of a previous arrest. Ultimately, it's up to the judicial system — prosecuting attorneys, judges, lawyers and public defenders — to prove a case, not law enforcement.

In November 2022, Coats was arrested in Saline County.

In December 2022, he was charged with 3rd degree assault, a Class A misdemeanor; 3rd degree battery, a Class A misdemeanor; and 1st Degree criminal mischief, a Class A misdemeanor. These offenses occurred in June 2022.

Coats pled guilty. He received 12 months probation, monetary fines but no jail time. He was ordered to pay restitution, perform community service and attend an anger management class along with other restrictions such as remaining in Arkansas.

Previous probation violations

Coats failed to report to his probabtion officer several times.

In September 2023, Coats moved and did not update his address or get permission to move from his supervising probation officer. That same month, his probation officer noted in a court filing that Coats also had not performed community service, paid court cost fines or attended an anger management class.

A bench warrant for Coats was issued.

In January 2024, an amended petition for probation revocation was requested by Brandon Peachey, probation officer for the Twenty-Second Judicial District. Vince Shoptaw, deputy prosecuting attorney for the Twenty-Second Judicial District, signed the document.

On July 2, 2024 another amended petition for probation revocation was filed in Saline County Circuit Court.

January 2024 arrest

In January 2024, Coats was arrested in Grant County. South Arkansas Reckoning obtained the incident report from the Grant County Sheriff's Office. We redacted the complaint's name and address for protection.

It remains unclear if South Arkansas Reckoning received all of the court documents related to Coats’ January 2024 incident in Grant County District Court. That's because of lack of proper communication and understanding of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act by a Grant County employee.

South Arkansas Reckoning asked for all documents in Grant County District Court in person on July 9. That request yielded a court docket sheet.

In the one-page document below, Coats appeared in Grant County District Court on May 21, 2024, regarding the January 2024 charges.

It appears from that document Coats pled guilty to fleeing but it's unclear what the outcome was on the other charges from the document.

South Arkansas Reckoning emailed Prosecuting Attorney Teresa Howell about Coats’ January arrest.

Howell did not respond.

Plea and arraignment for July 1 crimes

Coats is scheduled to appear for a plea and arraignment hearing for alleged crimes committed on July 1 on Wednesday, July 10 in Grant County before Circuit Court Judge Stephen Shirron.

The bond is set at $500,000. Shirron mandated that Coats appear before the court, according to the order signed by Shirron.