Crimes bring multiple charges

Published 6:50 pm Monday, January 13, 2014

Two Selma residents, facing charges for different crimes, are spending time behind bars at the Dallas County Jail before they appear before a local judge in the coming weeks.

Natasha Hall-Blevins, 1400 Green Street in Selma, has been charged with criminal mischief first degree and a $15,000 bond after authorities say she was seen on surveillance footage igniting an SUV belonging to her ex-boyfriend on fire in late December.

Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman said Blevins was seen in security video from in front of Dave’s Market in Valley Grande Dec. 28, throwing something inside the 1997 GMC Yukon owned by her ex-boyfriend, who is am employee at the grocery store.

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Huffman said the video evidence proved crucial for investigators who had been searching for a suspect.

“The store had a video camera and through our investigation she was identified as our suspect,” Huffman said. “I understand the vehicle burnt slap to the ground.”

Huffman said Blevins is also being held for a state probation violation, a charge that carries no bond. Blevins was arrested Jan. 6.

On Jan. 3, Dallas County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Mathis Smith, who resides on Dallas County Road 9 in Selma, and he is currently facing six counts of theft of property first degree and two counts of theft of property second degree for a spree of robberies at hunting camps in the Orrville and Bogue Chitto areas of western Dallas County.

After his arrest, Huffman said Smith confessed to multiple crimes, some within the Selma city limits and others in Wilcox County.

At present, Huffman said Smith is facing $180,000 in bonds for the charges from the county, but that total would likely grow higher after investigators in Selma and Wilcox County look in to his confessions.

“As soon as we get through with him and the city gets through with him, he’s going to Wilcox County,” Huffman said. “And the $180,000 bond is not definite because we might find more cases to charge him with.”