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Bobby Lee Hinson Jr. has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Bobby Lee Hinson Jr. has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Bobby Lee Hinson Jr., 64, has been sentenced to eight years in prison in connection with the death of his mother.

Dolores Haltom Hinson, 84, died January 2, 2020, two weeks after her son was jailed on a charge of abuse of an endangered or impaired person.

Circuit Court Judge David Talley heard Hinson enter negotiated pleas of “no contest” to manslaughter and the abuse charge. He received eight years on the manslaughter count, and 48 months on the neglect charge. Hinson will receive credit for 847 days in jail.

The state was represented by Prosecuting Attorney John Thomas Shepherd. Hinson was represented by public defender Daren Nelson.

Court records indicated that Hinson had lived for two years with his mother at her home at 1507 LaCari Street in Magnolia.

Shortly before Mrs. Hinson died, her granddaughter attempted to have her placed under a permanent guardianship. The guardianship petition, filed two days after Bobby Henson’s arrest, said that on December 17, 2019, Magnolia police conducted a welfare check on Dolores Hinson. “(They) found her to be neglected, malnourished and in need of immediate medical attention. Adult Protective Services was contacted and Bobby Hinson Jr. was arrested on a felony count of endangerment of an impaired person.”

Magnolia Police Department Sgt. Dustin Cloud filed a probable cause affidavit in Hinson case.

A representative from Arkansas Adult Protective Services told Cloud that the agency had received a hotline call about Mrs. Hinson’s status. Cloud entered the home with the representative and Columbia County Ambulance Service personnel to assess her condition.

As they entered the house, the smell of urine and feces was immediate. Bobby Hinson led the group to a bedroom. They found Mrs. Hinson on her left side, curled in a fetal position.

The affidavit said Mrs. Hinson was wearing an adult diaper that had not been changed in days. Fecal matter was found on the bed comforter and on bedsheets. She was taken to Magnolia Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Lt. Josh Miller interviewed the son, who said he had been his mother’s caregiver for the past two years.

“Bobby advised that he has to assist Dolores Hinson whenever she wants to get up and move around. Bobby advised he has to change Delores Hinson’s pull-up whenever she soils it. Bobby said he last changed the pull-up on Monday night. While speaking with Bobby, Lt. Miller asked if he gives his mother a bath and he advised that it has been a while since had has given her a bath but he cleans her up. Bobby said he last cleaned her up on Saturday (December 14),” the affidavit said.

Henson told Miller that he had last fed his mother vegetable soup at noon on Tuesday, December 17.

“Bobby said he laid a newspaper down, put a plate on Dolores Hinson’s lap, and then put the bowl on the plate. Bobby advised that Dolores was able to sit up (to) eat the food. Bobby advised that on Monday Dolores ate fish for lunch and goulash for supper. Bobby advised that he last checked the pull-up before he gave Dolores lunch on (Tuesday),” the affidavit said.

Police executed a search warrant and found old newspapers and trash in the living room. Empty orange soda cans were piled on kitchen counters and soda can boxes were piled at the entrance to another living area. Food found in both the refrigerator and the stove was old and had mold growing on it.

Mrs. Henson’s bedroom had not been cleaned in some time, the affidavit said.

“The bedding that Dolores was lying on appeared to be cover(ed) in fecal matter. In the adjoining bathroom, Sgt. Cloud observed what appeared to be a pile of bags that contained old soiled diapers and wipes,” the affidavit said.

Mrs. Hinson was the widow of Bobby L. Hinson Sr., who owned and operated the Ford automotive dealership in Magnolia for many years. Bobby Jr. was their only child.

In June 2021, Hinson was deemed fit to stand trial. At the hearing, an expert testified that Hinson was diagnosed with dysthymic disorder, a type of depression, in the 1980s. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder at a Little Rock clinic.

Prior to his mother’s hospitalization and death, Hinson had never been charged with a crime.

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