Arrested and tried, Guthrie (above) was sentenced to 20 years for Criminal Mischief, a Class B Felony.
UPDATE: DEC 3, 2025
The story reads like a Scooby Doo Mystery, with the bad guy getting caught by the end of the episode. Excitement built quickly in the community after someone reported to law enforcement that the large excavation equipment on the job site to construct the Southwest Trail… was dumped in a soupy ditch next to the trail-to-be.
Read the rest of the story below, along with:
- the Arrest report,
- Guthrie’s full rap sheet,
- Prosecutor’s report, and
- Prosecutors statement.
It wasn’t long before a cash reward climbed to many thousands of dollars. It became more every time we looked it up, because other local construction companies were pitching in to increase the total.
Within four days, authorities had an arrest, and the public saw that the Saline County Sheriff’s Office had found a solid lead very early in the case. The subject was Clint Guthrie, age 42, of Cabot, and he was recently fired from the construction crew, according to a representative from James A. Rogers Excavation. They also said Guthrie was angry that he wouldn’t be paid right away, and threatened other employees.
After Deputies interviewed the company, they checked with Arkansas State Police and found that Guthrie had been pulled over for a traffic violation in his Mitsubishi Mirage. The citation was at a time consistent with the time it would take to drive from the job site vandalism. He was dressed in wet clothing with fresh mud, according to the State Trooper.
Next, Deputies checked with Little Rock Police Department, who found video footage of the same vehicle in the Otter Creek/Mabelvale West area. It was also in a consistent timeline for the vandalism to take place.
Detectives obtained a warrant and arrested Guthrie. He was already on probation for an incident in Pulaski County. He also tested positive for fentanyl in his system. Eventually, he was charged with a separate incident for theft.
The arrest report:
Guthrie’s current full rap sheet:
Read the Prosecutor’s Report and Statement below.
Prosecutor’s report:
The Saline County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed a report of circumstances, noting the following:
“On May 23, 2025, Defendant was fired from his job at James A. Rogers Excavating. Later that evening or the morning of May 24, 2025 Defendant went to a former job site at the Southwest Trail in Saline County. At the trail, Defendant caused approximately $557,000 in damages to the property of James A. Rogers Excavating and the Southwest Trail.”
The following lines were selected on the report:
- Degree of property loss, personal injury or threatened personal injury substantially greater than characteristic for the crime.
- Defendant on probation or parole at the time of the crime.
- Repetition of behavior pattern which contributes to criminal conduct, e.g., return to drug or alcohol abuse.
- Serious prior Record.
Prosecutor’s statement:
Saline County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Walton announced that Clint Guthrie, of Cabot, entered a guilty plea to criminal mischief in the 1 st degree. Circuit Judge Ken Casady sentenced Guthrie, 42, to 20 years’ imprisonment in the Department of Corrections.
On May 25, 2025, witnesses contacted local law enforcement to report vandalism on the Southwest Trail. The witnesses saw damaged and destroyed construction equipment. Saline County sheriff deputies responded and saw a large excavator nose down on the side of an embankment. Another excavator was covered in mud. A bulldozer was driven into a nearby creek and buried in mud. Printed on some of the equipment was “James A. Rogers Excavation.”
Deputies contacted the business and discovered that Guthrie had been fired on May 23, 2025. Guthrie threatened employees after his firing and demanded to be paid for his work. Saline County detectives discovered that Guthrie received a traffic citation from the Arkansas State Police on May 23, 2025 at 7:48 p.m. Guthrie reported to the trooper that he was coming from a job site. The trooper reported that Guthrie’s clothing was wet and had fresh mud on them. Guthrie was driving a Mitsubishi Mirage.
The Little Rock Police Department provided Saline County detectives of video footage of the same vehicle in the area of Otter Creek and Mabelvale West slightly after 4 p.m. on May 23 rd . It is an approximately 17 minute drive from Guthrie’s former employer on West Baseline to the Southwest Trail jobsite.
Detectives obtained a warrant for Guthrie’s arrest and he was apprehended on May 29 th . At the time of his arrest, Guthrie was on probation out of Pulaski County. He tested positive for fentanyl on May 30 th .
According to Walton, “the length of this sentence is attributable to the major economic loss to the business and damage to the Southwest Trail itself. The damages to the business were north of $500,000 and there was no realistic way that Guthrie could pay restitution. He also caused significant disruption to a tax payer supported project that will only improve the quality of life in Saline County. I am thankful to Sheriff Wright and his team that led to the quick identification and apprehension of Guthrie.”
Read the previous story below from May 2025.
Scroll down for suspect mugshot.
UPDATE: MAY 29, 2025
It’s only been 4 days since the incident, but the reward money has gone from $10,000 to nearly $65,000 – and now someone has been arrested.
Construction has been going on to clear the path for a section of the Southwest Trail in Saline County, but progress came to a halt when vandals trashed some very expensive excavating equipment that was being used on the job.
James A. Rogers Excavating initially announced on May 26th that there would be a $10,000 reward for a tip leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s). But other businesses kept pitching in, pledging more money – even County Judge Matt Brumley pledged money toward the reward amount. From May 26th to May 29th, the amount soared to $64,660. And now, the Saline County Sheriff’s Office arrested someone on Thursday related to the vandalism.
The following is a press release from the Saline County Sheriff’s Office:
On May 25, 2025, a significant act of criminal mischief resulted in extensive damage to heavy equipment, owned by The James A. Rogers Excavating Company, while stationed on the Southwest Trail construction site in Saline County. The damage sparked widespread public concern and quickly drew the attention of the local community.
Clint Guthrie of Cabot arrested May 29, 2025.
The Saline County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division (CID), working in close partnership with the The James A. Rogers Excavating Company, Cabot Police Department, and the Arkansas State Police, conducted a swift and thorough investigation. The collaborative effort led to the arrest of a former employee; Clint Guthrie, 42, of Cabot.
“We’re grateful for the collaborative response from our partner agencies and the citizens who came forward,” said Saline County Sheriff Rodney Wright. “This arrest demonstrates how law enforcement and the public can work hand in hand to protect property and preserve the integrity of public works projects like the Southwest Trail.”
The case remains under investigation, and formal charges are pending through the Saline County Prosecutor’s Office.
If anyone has any additional information about this incident, please contact the Saline County Sheriff’s Office at (501) 303-5608.
PREVIOUSLY:
UPDATE – MAY 29, 2025
The reward increased to $64,660.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE – MAY 26, 2025
There’s a big reward posted, after someone came onto the worksite for the Southwest Trail and trashed some large and very expensive equipment.
James A. Rogers Excavating, the contractor on the project, was initially offering $10,000, but others have joined in with more money. And they keep pledging more. The reward amount has risen to $12,500 $21,000 $34,000 $61,600, $64,660 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the vandalism.
Their actions caused over $700,000 in damages, including excavators that were driven into a ditch. One of the excavators had its cab completely torn off.
Saline County officials and James A. Rogers Excavating are working closely with Law Enforcement to investigate the crime. They are also appealing to the public for any information that could assist in identifying the perpetrators.
If you have any information about the identity or location of the suspects, contact the Saline County Sheriff’s Office at (501) 303-5609.
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