Inset: Phillip B. Mink (Craighead County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Kroger where Mink allegedly tried to run down his ex-wife last week (Google Maps).
In a dramatic sequence of events that unfolded last week in Jonesboro, Arkansas, a man was arrested after allegedly attempting to harm his ex-wife in a public setting. The suspect, 47-year-old Phillip Blake Mink, faces serious charges including criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder and first-degree stalking, according to court documents.
The incident began when officers from the Jonesboro Police Department were dispatched to the woman’s residence on January 15, following a report of a protective order violation. The victim informed the officers that her ex-husband had breached a court mandate by showing up at her home uninvited. He persistently rang her doorbell and banged on her windows, urging her to come outside, as detailed by Jonesboro Right Now. Despite Mink’s multiple text messages, she chose to remain inside, prompting him to leave the scene in a white Ford F-150, which the police were subsequently on the lookout for.
Later that day, the situation escalated when the victim flagged down a police officer at the entrance of a Kroger parking lot. She was on a phone call with Mink at the time, and officers reportedly overheard him shouting at her, as reported by KAIT, an ABC and NBC affiliate. This encounter occurred near the 1700 block of S Caraway Road.
Amidst this tense exchange, police noticed Mink’s vehicle passing by the Kroger store, seemingly headed back towards the victim’s home. Officers attempted to intercept him, but Mink made a sudden maneuver, turning his vehicle around abruptly and driving across a grassy area to enter the parking lot.
This chain of events, witnessed by several police officers, led to Mink’s arrest, highlighting the severity of the charges against him. The case underscores the critical role of law enforcement in responding swiftly to potential threats, especially in situations involving domestic disputes and protective order violations.
Police attempted to pull over Mink’s vehicle, but he reportedly made a sudden U-turn, driving across a patch of grass and entering the Kroger parking lot.
“Mink began traveling at a high rate of speed in the parking lot toward the victim. Mink intentionally struck the victim’s vehicle while she was sitting inside, causing a collision,” police wrote in a probable cause affidavit obtained by the Jonesboro Sun. “Mink gets out of his vehicle almost immediately after and runs toward the victim’s vehicle on the driver side. The officer on scene heard one single shot and Mink say, ‘she shot me, she shot me.’”
While the victim did fire a warning shot as Mink approached her vehicle, he was not struck by the shot, police said.
In an interview with police, the victim admitted that she fired a single round “due to her being in fear for her life.”
“Detectives recovered video footage of this collision that confirms the victim’s statements,” police reportedly wrote.
Mink was taken into custody at the scene and is currently being held in the Craighead County Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.
In addition to murder and stalking, Mink is also facing one count each of first-degree criminal mischief and violation of an order of protection. He is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment on Feb. 27.
