Family invaded twice

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

— Finding out that a man - believed to be the focus of a manhunt since Tuesday - burglarized her home while the family was on a camping trip, Dawnita Henson said she’s too mad to feel violated.

But she’s not mad at the subject of the manhunt, she’s mad at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office because she thinks that, days earlier, she provided enough information for deputies to catch him - and she said they discounted her story.

Her anger began to take root Wednesay, when her husband, Darin, found a man hiding in their camper, while preparing for their weekend camping trip.

Dawnita Henson is mad and her anger propelled her.

After reporting a man in the family’s trailer Wednesday, leaving on a camping trip Thursday, and then finding their house burglarized Saturday, Henson took it upon herself to search her property and the surrounding property for her missing guns and bows.

“I was assured before I went camping that my property would be under surveillance when I went camping,” she said. “They were all aware I was going camping.”

Henson said the deputies who responded to their first call Wednesday night did not even get out of the car, nor take her report of seeing Cory Wolf seriously.

Sheriff Keith Ferguson said he has been to the Henson home twice to hear their concerns.

Ferguson said he’s apologized to the Hensons for the initial contact from deputies Wednesday and is investigating that incident.

Ferguson said that since Thursday his deputies have worked around the clock trying to find Cory Wolf and provide security for residents in the area.

“I stand behind my people 100 percent,” the sheriff said.

“They sat right there at that house for three days and nights.

“We’ve contacted residents, we’ve gone through outbuildings, barns and sheds,” Ferguson said, adding that enough evidence - fingerprints and DNA - were collected at the scene and sent to the Arkansas Crime Lab to identify the person who was in the Henson home. “We’ve got fingerprints, footprints....”

On the Record, Pages 6 on 03/31/2010