A Norfork man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to drug-related charges. The sentencing occurred Monday during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court's Criminal Division. Prosecutors dismissed an earlier revocation petition against 24-year-old Mason Hunter Chism as part of the court proceedings.
Chism's arrest took place on October 2, 2022, when Baxter County Sheriff’s deputies and Community Corrections officers went to a residence on Red’s Landing Trail in the Norfork area. Chism, listed as a probation absconder, also had active arrest warrants. Officers had received information suggesting Chism was distributing methamphetamine from the home and were warned he might be armed.
When officers arrived, they knocked and announced their presence before being allowed inside. According to the probable cause affidavit, the door was answered by 38-year-old Jamie Woodcock, who claimed she didn’t know who was in the house. Another woman, 33-year-old Ashley Henson, was found in a bedroom and made similar claims.
In a rear bedroom closet, officers noticed a blue blanket with what appeared to be a “rounded hump shape,” which contrasted with the angular surroundings. Upon closer inspection, Chism was discovered hiding underneath the blanket. Officers also located nearly 90 grams of methamphetamine in the residence, some of which was individually packaged in quantities suitable for retail sale. The discovery also included significant amounts of unprocessed methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.
Chism's legal troubles extend beyond this case. In 2022, he was arrested in Mountain Home when police responded to a report of a man asleep at the wheel of a pickup truck at a Sonic Drive-In. Officers discovered a pipe used for smoking methamphetamine and a bag containing 4.1 grams of methamphetamine in the vehicle. Chism was convicted and sentenced to probation in February 2023. A petition to revoke that probation was later filed after the new charges.
In addition, Chism faced separate forgery charges in Izard County earlier this year after allegedly using counterfeit $20 bills at businesses in Calico Rock. Surveillance footage and matching serial numbers on the fake bills reportedly linked him to the incidents.
Several others found in the Norfork residence during Chism's October 2022 arrest also face charges. Woodcock was charged with hindering apprehension, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Henson was charged with hindering apprehension.
Defense attorneys had filed a motion to suppress evidence in the case, arguing that officers lacked a valid search warrant for the property and that information regarding Chism’s residency was unreliable. Circuit Judge Andrew Bailey denied the motion, allowing the evidence to proceed as part of the case.
Chism’s sentencing concludes a series of legal proceedings that included multiple arrests and charges across Baxter and Izard counties.