On July 18, Arkansas State Police along with assistance from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office arrested Thomas Kevin Blewett of Oak Grove related to the death of Alexzander Drake Bernhardt.
According to the affidavit for warrant of arrest, Blewett used a .9 mm pistol and shot Bernhardt in the forehead causing his death. This being a murder in the first degree, a class Y felony.
Also on the arrest affidavit, Blewett is being charged with tampering with evidence, a class D felony. The action that led to this was Blewett removing the body of Bernhardt from the car and abandoning his body. Blewett attempted to clean the vehicle and drove it to a hidden location.
The arrest affidavit stated that there were two witnesses to the shooting. One minor and one legal adult were in the vehicle. The ASP located the pair via Life 360. Troopers made contact with the witnesses and transported them to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office for an interview. The minor’s mother traveled in her own personal vehicle to join the minor for the interview. Both witnesses were not arrested or detained.
During the first initial interview, both witnesses disclosed that Blewett was in the vehicle with Bernhardt but did not disclose that Blewett had a pistol.
Both witnesses left the station and returned a second time to give voluntary statements.
The minor, who was the driver, gave the details of themselves and the other witness being in the front seats of the vehicle while Blewett was in the rear passenger seat and Bernhardt was in the seat behind the driver. The witnesses heard a gunshot and turned to the backseat to see Blewett holding a pistol. The front passenger witness demanded that he be let out of the car. The driver immediately stopped.
Blewett then removed the body and attempted to clean up the car with wipes that the witness kept in the car. Both witnesses stated that Blewett said, “I’m gonna go to prison for life,” after shooting Bernhardt.
A tip was called in about the vehicle in question. The tip came from a Green Forest Police Officer, Tommy Blewett, the father of the alleged defendant. The officer gave the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office the location of the hidden vehicle.
After a search, the vehicle was discovered by ASP. Located in the back passenger compartment of the vehicle, there was an extensive amount of blood in plain sight.
Blewett is currently being held in the Carroll County Detention Center on a $1,000,000 bond and is scheduled to have a court date on Aug. 4.
