Jonesboro, AR – Jonesboro Right Now – Police arrested a man after they said he attempted to contact a woman at a Jonesboro shelter by putting a tracking device on her vehicle in addition to being found with drugs and paraphernalia.

District Judge David Boling found probable cause July 13 to charge 40-year-old Michael Christopher Pate, of San Diego, CA, with the following offenses:

• Possession of meth or cocaine greater than two grams but less than 10 grams (Class C felony)
• Possession of drug paraphernalia (Class D felony)
• Tampering with physical evidence (Class D felony)
• Resisting arrest – refusal to submit to arrest/active or passive refusal (Class B misdemeanor)

According to the probable cause affidavit, on July 12, Jonesboro police officers responded to a suspicious person call at a local women’s shelter involving a man attempting to contact a woman staying there and messing with a Ford Mustang parked in the lot.

Upon arrival, Sgt. Lane Holmes met with Pate, who was standing next to his vehicle and the Mustang, and explained that he was working on the vehicle at his wife’s request. After speaking with Pate, Holmes returned to his vehicle to try to find any no-contact order or order of protection that Pate may have had against him.

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In the meantime, Patrolman Cody Davies arrived on scene and attempted to remove Pate from his vehicle to detain him. However, Pate began to pull away and refused to be handcuffed. Officers were able to subdue Pate and put him into handcuffs.

Once Pate was in handcuffs, Davies saw Pate try to reach into his front pants pocket. Pate was searched as a result, and officers found a glass pipe with meth residue inside the pocket. The pipe was put on the hood of a patrol vehicle, and while officers continued to search Pate, he attempted to blow the pipe off the hood. However, they were able to secure the pipe before it was blown off.

After Pate was searched, Davies used his K9 to sniff Pate’s vehicle, resulting in a clear plastic bag of 2.75 grams of meth being found. He was arrested and booked into the Craighead County Detention Center after he was medically cleared from the hospital.

Before leaving the scene, Holmes spoke with the victim, who said she was trying to get away from Pate, but he had placed a tracker on her vehicle. The affidavit notes that an investigation was continuing involving a pending harassment charge.

Boling noted Monday that Pate has had multiple charges in the past, including domestic battery involving multiple women. Because of this, Pate was given a $150,000 cash/surety bond and ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor upon release.

Pate’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 21. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 12 years in prison and fines up to $31,000.

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