TONTITOWN (KFSM) - A suspect charged in connection with a recent Tontitown stabbing death was released from jail on Thursday (Aug. 14) on his own recognizance, officials said.
Lewis "Tony" Hedges, 34, has been held without bond in the Washington County Detention Center since late May on a felony charge of being an accomplice to murder. However, that charge was amended on Aug. 14 to a felony charge of hindering apprehension, a Class B felony punishable by five to 20 years in prison, officials said.
The charge against Hedges was amended to reflect the evidence from the May stabbing death of LeAnn Frazier in Tontitown, prosecutors said. He was originally accused of ordering the suspected killer to commit the violent act under threat of death, records show. Now, however, Hedges is accused by authorities of destroying evidence in the investigation, prosecutors said.
Hedges is set to appear in Washington County Circuit Court on Dec. 15 on the charge of hindering apprehension, according to officials.
After his charge was amended on Aug. 14, Hedges was released from jail on his own recognizance, also known as a signature bond. He has been ordered not to have contact with the victim's family, officials said.
Hedges, a Springdale resident, was arrested in Texas after a week-long manhunt in connection with the stabbing death.
Brock Atkins, who has been charged with capital murder in Frazier's killing, was set to appear in court Aug. 14, but his trial will be rescheduled to start at an undetermined future date.