Article submitted by 10th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
WARREN, Ark. — On August 6, 2025, Derek Logan Simmons was convicted by a jury in the Circuit Court of Bradley County, Arkansas, on three felony counts stemming from a May 2023 drug and weapons investigation.
The charges arose from a search conducted on May 24, 2023, at Simmons’ residence on Bradley Road North in Warren. Agents from the Tenth Judicial District Drug Task Force, Arkansas Community Corrections, and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department executed the search based on his parole conditions and search waiver. During the search, law enforcement officers discovered methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia, and a loaded shotgun in Simmons’s reported address. Additional evidence included digital scales, multiple smoking devices, and men’s hunting clothes.
Following a jury trial, Simmons was found guilty of Possession of Methamphetamine, Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm.
After finding Simmons guilty, the Jury heard additional information about Simmons’s criminal history. Simmons is a habitual offender under Arkansas law based on his multiple prior convictions. In Bradley County Case #06CR-16-35, Simmons was convicted of four separate drug-related felonies: Possession of Methamphetamine or Cocaine with Purpose to Deliver (≥ 2 grams), a Class B felony; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia to Ingest or Inhale, a Class D felony; Use or Possession of Paraphernalia to Manufacture Controlled Substances, a Class D felony; and Manufacture of Schedule VI Controlled Substance (over 4 ounces but less than 25 pounds), a Class C felony. Although initially placed on probation, Simmons’ probation was revoked on August 16, 2021, after he committed new criminal offenses in Jefferson County. He was subsequently sentenced to six years on each count, to run concurrently. In Jefferson County, Simmons was convicted on July 13, 2021, of Possession of Methamphetamine or Cocaine and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, both Class D felonies, and received a 72-month sentence in the Arkansas Department of Correction, also running concurrently with his Bradley County sentence.
The Jury sentenced him to twelve years for the possession of methamphetamine count, 10 years for the simultaneous possession of drugs and firearm count, and 10 years for the felony possession of firearm conviction to and recommenced the sentences run consecutively for a total of 32 years. Circuit Judge Quincey Ross did not follow the jury’s consecutive recommendation and only sentenced the defendant to a total of 12 years. Simmons started serving his sentence immediately.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Harrod expressed his sincere appreciation to the jury for their time and attention throughout the trial. He also commended Sheriff Herschel Tillman and his deputies, the 10th Drug Task Force agents, and parole officers, whose collaborative efforts were instrumental in this case.
Tenth District Prosecuting Attorney Frank Spain noted that Simmons will be required to serve 100% of the 10-year sentence imposed for the felon in possession of a firearm conviction because he possessed the firearm during the commission of a new offense. “As a career prosecutor, I’m well aware that drugs and guns don’t mix. I have seen too many lives ended when the two meet. The Arkansas Legislature has equipped prosecutors with powerful tools to combat the dangerous combination of drugs and firearms,” Spain said. “The offense of Simultaneous Possession of Drugs and Firearms is a Class Y felony, carrying the potential for a life sentence in the Arkansas Department of Correction. Additionally, the charge of Felon in Possession of a Firearm mandates that individuals who have previously committed violent offenses or possess a firearm during the commission of another crime must serve their sentence day for day, without parole eligibility. Sentences like the one imposed on Mr. Simmons send a clear warning to other felons in Bradley County: continued criminal activity involving drugs and weapons will be met with the full force of the law.”
