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A 80-year-old Fort Smith man says that he has been threatened over the telephone and on social media by the boyfriend of a controversial social media gadfly who recently lost a lawsuit to the elderly gentleman.
Bradley Art Martin, 80, the director of the Fort Smith Trolley Museum and a lomgtime Fort Smith resident, told police on April 26 that 49-year-old Craig Wootton of Fort Smith had called him that morning and threatened to "do him in".
Martin told officers that Wootton had been threatening him after he won a small claims lawsuit against Darla Lackey, the founder and president of a Fort Smith non-profit that is now under questionable status because of uncompleted paperwork with the state.
Martin said on Sunday he does intend on filing charges against Wootton in the case.
The following is the complete narrative FSPD officer B. Canada took during a person to person interview with Martin the morning of the incident:
Offense Report Narrative:
"Offense Narrative 230027657 Ofc. B. Canada 4519 4/26/2023
On 4/26/2023, while patrolling downtown, I was flagged down for a threats report. I made contact with Art Bradley Martin Jr (11/15/42), who stated that Craig Wootton (50s) had threatened to "do him in".
Mr. Martin explained that due to an incident between he and Darla Lackey, Mr. Wootton was making threats toward him. Mr. Martin explained that he had sued Ms. Lackey in court, and won, and she was held in contempt due to taking photos of him in the courtroom. He explained that Mr. Wootton is Ms. Lackey's live in boyfriend. He explained that they stay at 1824 or 1825 Louisville. I was able to confirm the address as 1824 Lousiville via NCIC.
Mr. Wootton had sent texts over Facebook which states "You fixin to get messed up bud, I done warned you twice now, its over. Your time is up" and "Apparently you need a real hard life lesson". The threat to do him in came over a phone call Mr. Wooton had made to Mr. Martin this morning at 8:37 AM.
There was also an extensive message from Ms. Lackey directed towards Mr. Martin on Facebook which he showed me screenshots of. The message consisted of Ms. Lackey telling Mr. Martin to mind his business and to stop stalking her, and that due to he and his wife's age, should spend what time they have left together instead of worrying about what's going on with them.
A potential date of birth for Craig Wootton is 1/10/74.
Canada 4519 BWC Active"
You can also access the online police report by clicking HERE and following the online instructions.
Wootton has a pretty extensive criminal background, especially from the state of Texas.
In addition to various misdemeanors for traffic violations and failure to maintain insurance on his vehicles, Wooten has racked up arrest for Theft of Property by Check (on four different occasions), Theft of Property between $50 and $500, Possession of Marijuana, Assault, and Assault on a Family Member Resulting in Bodily Injury. Those arrests all came in Texas.
Wootton was also booked into the Sebastian County Detention Center on April 2, 2019 for Assault on Family or Household Members in the Third Degree. Those charges eventually dropped when the victim refused to cooperate with prosecution.
Wootton and Lackey have founded and operate a number of social media web pages, mainly on Facebook, in which the apparent goal is to belittle, slander, and personally attack anyone who they feel is "against them".
Lackey is already facing two separate court proceedings over contempt charges including her arrest after she took photographs in the Fort Smith District Court on April 5 and later posted them on Facebook. She recently had a hearing in that case postponed after she showed up in court without an attorney for the second time in a row.
Lackey is a multi-convicted felon who serve time in the Kansas State Prison Systemultiple-covicted felon out of the state of Kansas who was sentenced to three years in prison in her twenties.
Lackey, Wootton, and Pay it Forward Fort Smith et al are also slated to be the subjects of a slander and defamation lawsuit to be filed filed in early June by various individuals.
