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Archive for the ‘ARKANSAS’ Category
Former Sulphur Springs Police Chief Andrew Little Arrested, Charged With Theft After Stealing Stepfather’s Guns
July 3rd, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - Prosecutors have filed a formal theft charge against the former police chief of Sulphur Springs.
On Monday, Andrew Little, 24, of Gentry was charged with theft of property, a class B felony punishable with a prison sentence ranging from five to 20 years.
Little was arrested April 22 and was later released on felony citation.
According to a probable-cause affidavit in the case, in early March, Little told his stepfather, Richard Cummins, that five of his weapons had been stolen in a burglary.
Little first claimed the alleged thief had been arrested, but that the guns were being held by the Fort Smith Police Department until after the case went to court on April 18.
Cummins told police he later discovered that two more guns were also missing. Little told Cummins the guns were in a Sulphur Springs evidence locker and could not yet be returned, according to the affidavit.
Read MoreCarroll County Arkansas Sheriff Bob Grudek’s So-Called “Amnesty Program” Doesn’t Go Over Well, He And His Officers May Have To Get Off Their Asses And Do Some Real Law Enforcement Work
July 2nd, 2008
CARROLL COUNTY, ARKANSAS - Only a few days remain for the warrant amnesty program that has been offered to the citizens of Carroll County throughout the month of June.
Only outstanding misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear, failure to pay, and hot checks, issued prior to Jan. 1, 2008 are included in the amnesty offer.
It is available only to those who turn themselves in and does not apply when people are arrested.
According to Sheriff Bob Grudek, his department has received many calls in regards to the amnesty program, but only four have turned themselves in.
“The word is out,” he said. “Why they are not participating I don’t know. The numbers are way down.”
Those who do turn themselves in will be booked into jail, released on their own recognizance and given a court date.
Read MoreFormer Bentonville Arkansas Firefighter Kevin Thomasson Sentenced To 30 Days In Jail After Ex-Girlfriend And Another Woman Reported Being Raped
June 21st, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - A former Bentonville firefighter began serving a jail sentence for domestic abuse on Thursday.
Kevin Thomasson, 34, must serve 30 days in the Benton County Jail. He was found guilty of battery in the third degree, a class C misdemeanor.
The decision was handed down by Rogers District Judge Doug Schrantz in August 2007, but Thomasson lodged an appeal in Benton County Circuit Court.
Thomasson was also charged with two counts of rape.
Thomasson was arrested in January 2007 on suspicion of rape after a former girlfriend claimed Thomasson had raped her. When police interviewed the other alleged victim in connection with the former girlfriend’s claims, the other woman claimed Thomasson had also raped her.
Thomasson testified and denied raping the woman.
A jury found Thomasson not guilty of one count of rape. Prosecutors requested that the other rape charge be dismissed.
Read MoreRogers Arkansas Police Officer Sgt. Steve Charles Suspended After Interfering In Investigation
June 10th, 2008
ROGERS, ARKANSAS — A Rogers police sergeant has been suspended for 10 days from his job for off-duty actions that included interfering in a traffic-stop investigation in Fayetteville.
Sgt. Steve Charles, a passenger in a vehicle stopped on April 12 by a Fayetteville police officer, committed three violations of the Rogers Police Department’s standards of conduct, according to a report based on an internal investigation. The report was released to the public on Monday.
The driver of the vehicle — a relative of Charles’ — was ultimately charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, according to a Fayetteville Police Department report. Charles was not arrested or charged with a crime.
The Rogers police report said that during the stop, Charles relayed a message through the Rogers dispatch center asking for a call from the investigating officer’s supervisor. Charles then tried to convince him there was no valid reason for the stop.
Read MoreFour Arkansas Police Cadets Kicked Out Of Police Academy For Cheating
May 25th, 2008
ROGERS, ARKANSAS - - Four law-enforcement cadets were dismissed Friday from the Northwest Arkansas training academy for cheating three weeks before graduation.
A Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy, a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy, a Bella Vista Police officer and a Farmington Police officer were dismissed from the academy after the cheating was discovered.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office was notified on Friday a deputy in the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy in Elm Springs copied answers from a weekly exam and gave the answers to three other cadets.
Wade Porter, 37, of Gravette was fired from the sheriff’s office Friday evening, said Capt. Mike Jones.
Porter was with the department for a year as a field deputy.
There are four remaining deputies attending the academy, Jones said.
“I was embarrassed” and “extremely disappointed,” Jones said of the situation. “We work hard to put the best people with this organization.”
Read MoreBogus Charges Dropped Against Wetback Forgotten In Washington County Arkansas Courthouse Holding Cell For 4 Days Without Food, Water, Or Bathroom
May 24th, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - A woman who was forgotten in a courthouse holding cell for four days without food or water will not be prosecuted on the charge that landed her in the system, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
A charge of selling pirated recordings was dropped Monday after prosecutors were able to verify Adriana Torres-Flores’ alibi, Deputy Prosecutor Mark Booher said. She claimed she was watching a booth for someone else when police raided the flea market and seized pirated CDs and DVDs.
Torres-Flores, 38, pleaded not guilty in March, and Circuit Judge William Storey ordered her jailed because federal authorities had arrested her in December as an illegal immigrant.
A bailiff locked her in a holding cell at the Washington County Courthouse but forgot to call deputies to drive her to the county jail. Court was canceled the next day — Friday — because of stormy weather, and the courthouse was closed over the weekend.
Read MoreBella Vista Arkansas Police Recruit Scott Vanatta Kicked Out Of Police Academy For Cheating - Chief Wozniak Backs Bad Cop
May 24th, 2008
BELLA VISTA, ARKANSAS - Bella Vista’s police chief said he plans to appeal on behalf of one of his officer who was accused of cheating and expelled from the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy last week.
Chief Jim Wozniak said he’ll appeal officer Scott Vanatta’s dismissal to the training academy’s standards commission.
“I haven’t seen a written report from the academy, but based on what Scott told me, absolutely, yes, we’ll appeal on his behalf,” Wozniak said Wednesday.
Steve Farris, the academy’s deputy director, said Vanatta and three other officers were dismissed from the academy after an incident Friday. The others were Benton County sheriff’s deputy Wade Porter, Washington County sheriff’s deputy John Staats and Farmington police officer A. J. Jefferson.
Because of their expulsions, the four must wait two years before they can apply to return to the academy to become certified law officers in Arkansas. Either the officers or their departments can appeal to the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
Read MoreHempstead County Arkansas Deputy Sheriff Jeffrey Mayle Arrested, Fired, Charged With Rape
May 23rd, 2008
HEMPSTEAD COUNTY, ARKANSAS - A Hempstead County reserve deputy was arrested on a charge of rape. He’s identified as 47-year-old Jeffery Mayle.
A Hempstead County woman told investigators she and her boyfriend had a fight, and that she got out of his car and started walking home.
She says she was picked up by Deputy Mayle while walking along a stretch of Highway 355, near the Saratoga Schools. She told investigators that Mayle took her to Millwood Lake and asked her to perform a sexual act. The woman says she refused, but later complied.
Mayle has been fired from his job.
We’re told he’d been with the force since August of last year.
After Returning Bribe Money, Carroll County Arkansas Sheriff Robert Grudek Wants Inmates To Pay For Food, Medical Expenses, And Room And Board
May 18th, 2008
The quorum court passed the ordinance on Nov. 16 to establish an account for each inmate in the Carroll County Jail to pay for snack food and clothing items through commissary and medical expenses, said Sheriff Robert Grudek.
The ordinance allows the jail to charge convicted inmates a fee for being housed in the jail, Grudek said. It will be up to the district or circuit judge if the convicted inmate will have to pay, he added.
Grudek said the only drawback to the ordinance is whether the judges will allow the jail to charge convicted inmates fees for housing. Before the program is implemented, Grudek said he wants to sit down with each judge and explain how it will work.
Veteran Fort Smith Arkansas Police Officer Eric Lasiter Suspended For 30 Days - Facts Hidden From Taxpayers
May 10th, 2008
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS — A Fort Smith police officer is serving a 30-day suspension after an internal investigation determined he violated a department regulation.
Cpl. Eric Lasiter, an 11-year veteran working on the information desk, was suspended without pay as of May 2, according to a news release from the department.
Lasiter had 10 days from the start of his suspension to appeal the action, which was taken by Police Chief Kevin Lindsey.
Details of Lasiter’s violation were not disclosed.
Appeared Here
Dumbass Alma Arkansas Police Officers Keep Residents Out Of Community Storm Shelter During Tornado Warning - Residents May Finally Have Access To Shelter Next Year
May 9th, 2008
ALMA, ARKANSAS - Some residents in the area tried to take cover from the storms Wednesday night at a new community tornado shelter in Alma but found themselves locked out.
Alma Tornado Shelters Locked During Wednesday’s Tornado Warning
City officials will be looking into procedures for operating the facility.
About 20 people came to the shelter Wednesday night to take cover but ended up having to wait outside in the severe weather.
Every Alma police officer has a key to the door, but by the time the doors were finally opened by someone else, the storm had already passed.
This storm shelter was built last fall on the backside of Alma High School so residents would have a place to go when severe weather rolls through.
“The Alma Police Department has a key to it, and when the sirens sound, a police officer comes down here and unlocks the building,” said Alma Superintendent David Woolly.
Read MoreWest Memphis Arkansas Police Shoot And Kill Man With Taser Weapons After Hassling Him For Doing Nothing
April 28th, 2008
WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS - Police stopped Dewayne Chatt for loitering. When they were about to make the arrest the 38 year old ran into the Dodge’s store across the street and locked himself in the managers office. Police ran after him and had to use a taser on him three times before finally getting him into custody.
Just over an hour later, Chatt died while locked up in the Crittenden County Jail. “If he did run from police, they didn’t have to use excessive force by tasering him and then never giving him medical treatment,” said Chatt’s brother Michael.
Chatt’s family says excessive force caused dewayne’s death. They believe the store’s surveillance recordings will tell the whole story.
“We want to get the video tape of the actions of the officers so we can see all the people can see how unjustified and and how vigilante these officers are being in West Memphis.”
Read MoreInnocent Man Still Facing Bogus Charges As North Little Rock Arkansas Police Attempt To Cover Up Their Wrongdoing During SWAT Raid That Turned Up Nothing - Officers Shot Man Defending His Home 5 Times
April 26th, 2008
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - Interviewing the people in Tracy Ingle’s life — his sisters, his foster brother, his friends — you hear one line often enough that it soon becomes a refrain: Tracy is no angel.
Though all express their love and admiration for him — a kind man; a man who can fix anything, they say — they tend to tell you the bad things about him first. A recovering alcoholic, Ingle had a couple of DWIs several years back. When the Arkansas Times spoke to him, he was on house arrest for a 5-year-old failure-to-appear warrant. A car accident in Maryland in 2002 left him with degenerative disk disease in his back and what his sisters said is an addiction to pain killers — though all of his pills are legally prescribed. Up until Christmas 2007, he had several roommates, many of whom had had recent run-ins with the law. Last year, he agreed to fix a stereo in a friend’s Mustang — a car that turned out to be hot — and got arrested for receiving stolen merchandise. That case still hasn’t shaken out.
Read MoreSulphur Springs Arkansas Police Chief Andrew Little Fired, Sgt. Jeremiah Nicholson Forced To Quit - Dumbass Chief Stole Stepfather’s Guns, Pawned Them, And Lied
April 24th, 2008
SULPHUR SPRINGS, ARKANSAS - Sulphur Springs is minus two police officers after the termination of the chief and the resignation of another officer.
On Wednesday night, Mayor Quinton Hoffer informed the Sulphur Springs Town Council of his decision to terminate Police Chief Andrew Little from his position.
Little was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing guns owned by his stepfather. Little turned himself in to the Benton County Jail and was released on a felony citation.
Hoffer told the council he had spoken with Little, who was supposed to come to City Hall and turn in his resignation. Hoffer said he waited for Little, but after he did not bring his resignation, Hoffer said he terminated Little and retrieved his patrol car and equipment.
Hoffer also asked another officer - Sgt. Jeremiah Nicholson - to resign because of his connection to the case. Hoffer told council members he felt the decision concerning Nicholson was the correct move.
Read MoreDumbass Sulphur Springs Arkansas Police Chief Andrew Little Arrested, Charged With Stealing And Pawning His Stepfather’s Guns - Mayor Expects Little To Quit
April 23rd, 2008
SULPHUR SPRINGS, ARKANSAS - Police Chief Andrew Little faces felony theft charges after allegedly stealing and pawning guns owned by his stepfather. Little turned himself in to the Benton County Jail on Tuesday, the same day a warrant was issued against him.
Sulphur Springs Mayor Quinton Hoffer said Tuesday evening he had not yet received Little’s resignation but expected it by early today.
“He’ll probably turn in his resignation in the morning,” Hoffer said of Little. “Under the circumstances, that’s pretty much how it has to go.”
According to a probable cause affidavit provided by Prosecutor Van Stone, Little’s theft began in early March, when he told his stepfather, Richard Cummins, that the house the two shared with a Sulphur Springs sergeant had been burglarized. Little told Cummins five of his weapons had been stolen, according to the affidavit. Cummins was out of the state on business at the time.
Read MoreArkansas Attorney Cindy Baker Found In Contempt Of Court, Again…
April 22nd, 2008
GREEN FOREST, ARKANSAS — Attorney Cindy Baker was found guilty of contempt of court in Green Forest City Court Friday, March 21, for missing a previous court date.
According to court documents, Judge Scott Jackson presided over the hearing in which he found Baker guilty of the misdemeanor offense, and ordered her to pay a $150 fine and $50 in court costs. Jackson could not be reached for comment.
Baker is facing a similar charge in Berryville District Court. Judge Kent Crow charged her with contempt arising from her Jan. 15 continuance request, in which she reportedly said she would be delayed in St. Louis, Mo., awaiting court action there and would not be able to attend proceedings in his court the following day.
Crow claims Baker was issued a speeding citation near Huntsville on the day she was to be in his court and misrepresented her ability to be in his court to represent her clients, a charge she denies.
Read MoreCarroll County Arkansas Sheriff Bob Grudek’s Roadblock Plan To Check For Misdemeanor Warrants Halted By Court
April 21st, 2008
CARROLL COUNTY, ARKANSAS — Sheriff Bob Grudek’s plan to use checkpoints to help rein in more than 3,000 outstanding misdemeanor warrants for failure to appear, failure to pay and violation of hot check laws was halted by an appeals court procedural ruling announced on the same day Grudek made his checkpoint announcement.
“The use of checkpoints in making misdemeanor warrant arrests is now on hold until all the research is completed regarding this matter,” Grudek said.
“But not having the use of the checkpoints, which was to be a joint operation between our deputies and the Arkansas State Police, won’t stop us from making arrests for failure to appear or failure to pay,” Grudek cautioned.
Most misdemeanor warrant arrests are made during traffic stops. “But as long as we have addresses and other information as to their whereabouts, we’ll continue to pursue them,” Grudek said.
Read MoreFaulkner County Arkansas Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Wood And Prosecutor Marcus Vaden In Pissing Contest Over Mishandling Of Teens Incarceration - 10 Months Behind Bars Becomes 14 Months In Court Order Mixup
April 16th, 2008
FAULKNER COUNTY, ARKANSAS - Since Thursday afternoon, Circuit Judge Rhonda Wood and Prosecuting Attorney Marcus Vaden have filed court documents compelling one another to take responsibility in the apparent mishandling of an 18-year-old’s incarceration sentence for second-degree battery.
Failure to comply with either request could in theory result in the jailing of Wood, or of the deputy prosecutor who handled the case for Vaden.
Wood wrote in an eight-point press release sent Wednesday that when she deals in adult criminal court the prosecutor’s office, and not her own, has always prepared the type of judgment form that was necessary to send Myles Lenard Taft Jr. to the Arkansas Department of Correction in 2007, and on Thursday afternoon Wood filed an order instructing the same deputy prosecutor to produce the needed judgment and commitment order by 3 p.m., or to else show up at court and “show cause” as to “why it is not prepared.”
Read MoreWoman Testifies In Fomrer Bentonville Arkansas Firefighter’s Rape Trial
April 15th, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - Testimony continues today in a rape trial against a former Bentonville firefighter accused of forcing a woman to have sex in December 2006.
Kevin Thomasson resigned from the Bentonville Fire Department after his arrest Jan. 25, 2007. Thomasson faces up to life in prison if convicted by the eight-man, four-woman jury in the courtroom of Benton County Circuit Judge David Clinger.
The victim testified Tuesday that Thomasson came to her house unannounced one evening after the two had been arguing off and on by phone for several hours. She had just gone to bed. Thomasson argued with her, forced her to have sex, slapped her and spit on her face - then left her home, she testified.
Thomasson was angry she lied to him earlier in the day because she was trying to hide the fact another man delivered a table to her home, she testified. She didn’t want to tell Thomasson because he tended to be jealous and controlling, she said.
Read MoreGrandfather Sues Arkansas State Police Trooper After Bogus Arrest For Not Showing Identification - Federal Court Of Appeals Rules That Innocent Individuals Do Not Have To Produce ID For Cops
April 10th, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, AR - A police officer does not have the authority to arrest someone for refusing to identify himself when he is not suspected of committing a crime, a federal appeals panel ruled Friday.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed an Arkansas federal judge’s ruling and ordered a new hearing in a Benton County man’s lawsuit challenging his arrest for refusing to show his identification during a traffic stop.
“It is amazing how many times I have had people convicted for doing the same thing,” said Rogers attorney Doug Norwood. “You have to have a reasonable suspicion that the individual person is either committing a crime or about to.”
Norwood filed the original lawsuit on behalf of Richard M. Stufflebeam of Lowell.
Read MoreBerryville Arkansas Lawyer Cindy Baker Cited For Contempt After Lying To Judge
April 5th, 2008
BERRYVILLE, AR — A lawyer in Berryville has been cited with contempt of court by a district judge who said she lied about why she couldn’t be in court. On Jan. 15, Cindy Baker told Gerald Kent Crow, judge for Carroll County’s eastern district, that she was stuck in St. Louis waiting to argue a case before the 8 th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals, records in the contempt case show.
Crow granted Baker a delay in several of her cases set for the next day in his court, a Wednesday.
According to a notice of contempt, a trooper cited Baker for speeding the morning of Jan. 16 in Northwest Arkansas, so Crow called the appeals court in St. Louis to investigate.
Read More8th Circuit Federal Court Of Appeals Rules That Innocent People Aren’t Required To Identify Themselves, And Police Have No Authority To Arrest Them If They Don’t
April 5th, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, AR - A police officer does not have the authority to arrest someone for refusing to identify himself when he is not suspected of committing a crime, a federal appeals panel ruled Friday.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reversed an Arkansas federal judge’s ruling and ordered a new hearing in a Benton County man’s lawsuit challenging his arrest for refusing to show his identification during a traffic stop.
“It is amazing how many times I have had people convicted for doing the same thing,” said Rogers attorney Doug Norwood. “You have to have a reasonable suspicion that the individual person is either committing a crime or about to.”
Norwood filed the original lawsuit on behalf of Richard M. Stufflebeam of Lowell.
Read MoreCrawford County Arkansas Jail Administrator Capt. Terry Rea Fired, Not Charged Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations
April 2nd, 2008
CRAWFORD COUNTY, AR - While he will not be charged with a crime, Capt. Terry Rea’s tenure as jail administrator for the Crawford County Detention Center is finished. Quorum court budget committee members unanimously approved a $5,688 lump-sum payout to Rea for accrued holiday and vacation time during Monday night’s meeting.
Later, during a personnel committee meeting, justices of the peace also approved the hiring of four new deputies for the sheriff’s department. The positions must now be approved during the quorum court’s regular meeting later this month.
Prosecuting Attorney Marc McCune sent an e-mail to the Press-Argus Courier Tuesday afternoon announcing that materials from an Arkansas State Police investigation into possible sexual misconduct by Rea had been turned over to him for examination.
Read MoreFormer Vian Arkansas Police Chief Jeremy Eugene Floyd Charged With Embezzling Nearly $2K, Stealing Vehicle During Three Months At Chief
April 2nd, 2008
VIAN, AR - Vian’s former police chief is accused of embezzling nearly $2,000, as well as stealing a utility vehicle from a downtown Vian business, during his three-month stint as police chief last year.
On Wednesday, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Jeremy Eugene Floyd, 30, of Muldrow on two counts of felony embezzlement and one count of grant larceny, according to court records.
Floyd is currently employed as a patrolman with the Bethel Heights Police Department in Arkansas.
Bethel Heights Police Chief Don McKinnon on Thursday morning was unaware of the charges against Floyd.
McKinnon, who seemed baffled by the charges, said Floyd was hired as a patrolman with Bethel Heights on Jan. 22.
“He came from Van Buren, Ark.,” McKinnon said. “They highly recommended him.”
Read MoreArkansas State Police Trooper Tom Weindruch Receives A Slap On The Wrist, Reassignment After False Arrest Of News Journalist At Fire Where Officer Wasn’t Supposed To Be
March 28th, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, AR - The Arkansas State Police has suspended and reassigned a trooper who arrested a news photographer at a December house fire.
Trooper Tom Weindruch, 33, was suspended for two days without pay and was transferred from the Highway Patrol Division to the Administrative Services Division in Little Rock, state police spokesman Bill Sadler said. Weindruch had been part of the patrol division in Little Rock-based Troop A.
Stephens Media Group photographer Bill Lawson, 59, was arrested by Weindruch at the scene of a Dec. 10 house fire in Maumelle. Lawson was handcuffed, then released at the scene with a citation for obstructing government operations. Prosecutors quickly dropped the charge.
Lawson filed a complaint against Weindruch, saying the trooper was abusive while Lawson was under arrest.
Sadler said Wednesday that Weindruch did not appeal the disciplinary action, which also prevents Weindruch from being eligible for a promotion or to receive special assignments for one year. Stephens Media Group first reported Weindruch’s suspension.
Read MoreFormer Vian Oklahoma Police Chief Jeremy Floyd Arrested, Charged With Embezzlement And Larceny While Working As Bethel Heights Arkansas Police Officer
March 28th, 2008
VIAN, OK - The police chief in Vian says a former chief of the eastern Oklahoma town is facing embezzlement and larceny charges.
Current Vian Police Chief Danny Hoover says former Chief Jeremy Floyd was arrested today in Bethel Heights, Arkansas, where he was working as a police officer.
Hoover says Floyd is being held in the Benton County, Arkansas, Detention Center pending extradition back to Oklahoma.
Hoover says Floyd faces two counts of embezzling between $600 and $700 from the Vian Police Department and a charge of grand larceny for the theft of equipment from a Vian business.
Whoops - Charges Dismissed After Dumbass Carroll County Arkansas Deputy Sheriff Lt. Jason Hunt Forgets To Take Samples Of Marijuana Plants, Label Them, Have Them Tested - Mixed Up With A Bunch Of Other Stored Plants - Duh!
March 27th, 2008
BERRYVILLE, ARKANSAS - Circuit Judge Alan Epley declined Monday to postpone a marijuana-growing trial after it turned out the Carroll County sheriff’s office had failed to take samples of the plants and get them tested for marijuana by the state Crime Lab.
Lt. Jason Hunt of the sheriff’s department arrested Ferlin Duane Tibbets of Oak Grove after 21 plants were spotted on and near his property during a fly-over.
He testified Monday that he had failed to take samples from the plants in July before they were stored, unlabled, with other confiscated marijuana plants.
He said he thought he could identify the Tibbets plants from photographs but the judge declined to delay the Oct. 31 trial and Prosecutor Tony Rogers dropped the case.
Rogers said he hoped he would be able to refile the charges before the deadline next July.
Former Bethel Heights Arkansas Police Officer Sgt. Michael Dismus Sharum Gets A Plea Deal, Sentenced To 15 Days In Jail For Forging A Check
March 26th, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - A former Bethel Heights police officer must serve 15 days in the Benton County Jail after he pleaded guilty to forging a check.
Michael Dismus Sharum, 37, pleaded guilty to forgery under a plea agreement that attorney Joel Huggins reached with Deputy Prosecutor Drew Ledbetter.
Lowell police arrested Sharum on Aug. 25, 2007, for forging a $ 500 check.
According to Ledbetter, Sharum claimed to have found the check. Sharum wrote the check to himself and cashed the check at his bank, Ledbetter said.
Circuit Judge Tom Keith accepted the plea agreement and Sharum’s guilty plea.
Sharum was placed on probation for five years, and he must serve 15 days in jail. He must also pay $ 920 in court associated costs.
Sharum was a sergeant with the Bethel Heights Police Department. He resigned the day of his arrest.
Read MoreCarroll County Arkansas Sheriff Bob Grudek Accepts $20,000 In Bribes From Contractor To County, Receives A Slap On The Wrist
March 24th, 2008
State: ARKANSAS
ADVISORY OPINION NO. 2007-EC-005
Issued October 19, 2007
The Arkansas Ethics Commission has received a written advisory opinion request from Robert T. Rogers II, the Prosecuting Attorney for the 19th Judicial District East. In his opinion request submitted on behalf of Carroll County, Mr. Rogers asks if it is permissible for county road department employees and county sheriff’s office employees to receive compensation from an anonymous donor.[1]
According to Mr. Rogers, an anonymous donor gave $20,000.00 to Carroll County in two separate checks of $10,000.00 each, and specified that the money was to be split evenly between the county road department and the sheriff’s office for use as a bonus for selected employees. The recipients and amounts of those bonuses were left to the discretion of the county judge and sheriff. The donor is now a vendor of asphalt to the county pursuant to a bid awarded prior to the donor’s purchase of the asphalt company.
Read MoreCarroll County Arkansas Deputy Sheriff Loses Handcuffed Man From Locked Patrol Car
March 24th, 2008
METALTON, ARKANSAS - A 20-year-old Metalton man, accused of breaking into the Cedar Creek store, is facing multiple charges after he allegedly escaped from authorities during transport to the county detention center.
Michael Bradley Riggs was being transported to jail in the rear seat of a sheriff’s unit, authorities say, when he slipped out of his handcuffs, removed his seatbelt, and with the patrol door locked, managed to open the door at the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 62 and Hailey Road and jump out.
Riggs reportedly ran into a field south of the highway, crossed a barbed wire fence and was eventually caught by a deputy in pursuit.
Riggs was arrested shortly before at his Metalton area home after authorities linked him to a break-in at the Cedar Creek store that occurred the night before.
Read MoreSydney Australia Polie Officer Charged After Wounding Woman At Her Home In Domestic Incident
March 23rd, 2008
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - A Sydney police officer has been charged with malicious wounding after he allegedly assaulted a woman during a domestic incident while off duty.
About 6.30pm (AEDT) on February 4, the 45-year-old officer went to a home at Seaforth in Sydney’s northern suburbs where he argued with a 47-year-old woman before an altercation broke out, police said in a statement.
On Friday, the man attended Harbourside police station where he was charged with malicious wounding.
The man was granted bail and is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on April 16.
A police spokeswoman said she could not confirm if the man would continue normal duties until he faces court.
Lowell Arkansas Police Officer Sgt. Kerry Headrick Arrested, Quits, Charged With Domestic Violence
March 17th, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - A Lowell police officer resigned last week after his arrest for domestic abuse.
Sgt. Kerry Headrick was arrested last week for misdemeanor domestic abuse in the third degree involving his girlfriend.
On Wednesday, Lowell Police Chief Joe Landers confirmed Headrick’s arrest and resignation.
Landers said Lowell police received a 911 call from Headrick’s girlfriend, who accused him of drinking and being belligerent. When Lowell officers arrived on the scene, they noticed a bruise on the woman’s left wrist. Landers said Headrick grabbed her wrist and broke a cell phone.
Headrick was booked into the Benton County Jail at 4: 44 a.m. March 5 and was released at 2: 51 p.m. the same day.
It’s an unfortunate incident,” Landers said.
The Benton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is handling the case, Landers said.
The office currently has two other cases involving law-enforcement officers.
Read MoreNot The Brightest Bulb Department: Firing Of Arkansas State Police Trooper Roderick L. Trotter Sr. Upheld After He Sought Three-Way Sex With Two Motorists And His Wife
March 11th, 2008
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - The state police director properly dismissed a state trooper who admitted seeking a three-way sex encounter between his wife and two women in a car he had stopped for driving with expired tags, the Arkansas State Police Commission decided Friday.
Roderick L. Trotter Sr., 46, who served with Troop A based in Little Rock, was fired in December by Col. Winford E. Phillips, state police commander.
The dismissal stemmed from complaints filed by the two women following a traffic stop on U.S. 67-167 in North Little Rock about 11:30 p.m. Sept. 29. Both women testified at a hearing Tuesday on Trotter’s appeal to the commission of his firing.
Phillips testified at the hearing that his action followed a dismissal recommendation by a review board of state police officers, and — after reviewing for himself the file on an internal investigation — he reached the same conclusion.
Read MoreDumbass Fayetteville Arkansas Court Baliff Jarrod Hankins Forgets Illegal Immigrant In Isolated Courthouse Holding Cell For 4 Days - No Food, Water, Or Toilet
March 11th, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS ― A woman being held as an illegal immigrant spent four days forgotten in an isolated holding cell at a courthouse with no food, water, or toilet, authorities and the woman said.
Adriana Torres-Flores, 38, appeared in court Thursday and pleaded not guilty to a charge of selling pirated CDs, but a judge ordered her held because she is in the country illegally, Sheriff Tim Helder said.
Bailiff Jarrod Hankins put her in the cell to await transport to jail, and she was forgotten. Because of heavy snow, few staff members were in the courthouse to hear her cries and pounding later Thursday or on Friday and through the weekend.
Torres-Flores wasn’t found until Monday morning when Hankins opened the door. She was treated at a hospital and allowed to go home.
The sheriff said Hankins, a bailiff for two months, simply forgot about Torres-Flores.
Read MoreNutcase Rogers Arkansas Police Officer Lt. David Mitchell Suspended For Just 10 Days After Taser Weapon Attack On 2 Cows, Shocking Himself And Another Man - Fellow Dumbass, Police Chief Steve Helms, Ignored Incident Until PETA Got Involved
March 5th, 2008
ROGERS, ARKANSAS — A Rogers police lieutenant will be suspended 10 days without pay for firing a department-issued electric stun device at two cows in June 2006.
Lt. David Mitchell’s suspension will begin March 17, said Rogers Police Chief Steve Helms.
The department began an internal investigation into the matter last month after an animal-rights organization complained to the Police Department and city administration that Mitchell showed several colleagues a video of himself and another man firing the stun gun at a cow.
A report detailing the investigation released today stated the incident happened during the first half of June 2006 on property Mitchell owns and involved cows owned by his family.
The report says the first cow was not hit, and in fact, the device malfunctioned and shocked Mitchell and the other man, who is not a member of the Police Department.
Read MoreLawsuit Charges Crazed Forrest City Arkansas Police Officer Sherie Hernandez With Brutally Attacking A Child, Wrongful Death Of Fetus
February 26th, 2008
FORREST CITY, ARKANSAS - A lawsuit has been filed against the city on behalf of a minor who claims she suffered a miscarriage as a direct result of rough treatment by a Forrest City police officer.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Swvilla Lowe (no age given; listed only as a minor), names Mayor Gordon McCoy and all the members of the city council, as well as Officer Sherie Hernandez, as defendants.
According to the lawsuit, the incident in question took place on Feb. 21 of last year. Lowe, along with her brother and father, got into a confrontation with another man at the Rice and Mann Apartments, and police were called to the scene.
The lawsuit claims that officers arrived, and all the people were ordered to get on the ground, which they did.
Read MoreRogers Arkansas Police Officer Lt. David Mitchell Fired After Laundry List Of Complaints - Currently Under Investigation After Videotaped Taser Weapon Attack On A Cow
February 25th, 2008
ROGERS, ARKANSAS - On the day Rogers police Chief Steve Helms confirmed the department was investigating one of its own officers, it completed a previous investigation into that same officer.
Lt. David Mitchell is now under investigation for his use of a Taser on a cow. On Tuesday, the department concluded an investigation into Mitchell that began on Aug. 9, the same day former Officer Anthony Martinez was terminated.
After being told he was fired, Martinez gave Helms a “laundry list”of complaints against Mitchell, Helms said.
The chief said some of the accusations warranted an investigation, so he charged Capt. George Riggs, the head of the Traffic Division, with the task.
While Helms said little about the investigation, he did address one of the more serious accusations against Mitchell. Martinez said the lieutenant had doubledipped, earning money for side jobs while on duty for the department, but Helms said there was no wrongdoing.
Read MoreCrawford County Arkansas Jail Administrator Terry Rea Suspended Amid Sexual Misconduct Investigation
February 25th, 2008
CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARKANSAS - The Crawford County sheriff says the county jail administrator has been suspended after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
Sheriff Mike Allen announced Thursday that jail administrator Terry Rea had been placed on paid administrative leave. The sheriff wouldn’t elaborate on the sexual misconduct allegation, but an Arkansas State Police lieutenant says the alleged incident happened at the jail when Rea was on duty.
State police are handling the investigation.
Rea, who is from Dyer, declined to comment Thursday.
Arkansas State Police Trooper Brian Garrett Charged With Assault And Battery After Attack On His Wife. Former Rogers Police Officer Shane Knaust Charged With Child Molestation
February 24th, 2008
BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS - Prosecutors filed formal charges Friday against an Arkansas State Police trooper and a former Rogers police officer in unrelated criminal cases.
Trooper Brian Garrett, 38, is charged with aggravated assault and battery in the second degree, both class D felonies. If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to six years on each count.
Garrett, who is a trooper assigned to the governor’s mansion, was placed on administrative leave with pay, according to Bill Sadler, a spokesman for the Arkansas State Police. Garrett was placed on administrative leave after his wife filed for an order of protection against her husband Dec. 11.
Mandi Garrett of Bella Vista claimed in court documents that her husband had physically abused her, and she levied an allegation that he had also been abusive toward her three children.
Garrett is accused of threatening his wife by placing the muzzle of his duty revolver against her face.
Read MoreRogers Arkansas Police Officer Lt. David Mitchell Under Investigation After Videotaped Taser Weapon Attack On A Cow
February 21st, 2008
ROGERS, ARKANSAS - Police are conducting an internal investigation into an allegation that a lieutenant used his stun gun to shock a cow and shared a videotape of the incident with other department employees.
Police Chief Steve Helms said Tuesday the inquiry began after he received a complaint from the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A letter dated Feb. 11 from PETA representative Stephanie Bell complained that Lt. David Mitchell filmed himself using the electronic stun device on the cow.
Electronic stun guns are used as less-lethal weapons to subdue people who pose a threat to officers.
Bell said in the letter that Mitchell distributed the video as a joke among friends and co-workers and she notes that animal cruelty is a misdemeanor crime in Arkansas.
Read MoreFort Smith Arkansas Police Chief Kevin Lindsey Suspended Due To “Lack Of Trust And Confidence”
February 17th, 2008
FORT SMITH, ARKANSAS — City Administrator Randy Reed placed Police Chief Kevin Lindsey on paid administrative leave Friday, saying there is a lack of trust and confidence between them.
Reed placed Lindsey on leave Friday afternoon following a meeting they had earlier in the day. The outcomes of other meetings with Lindsey since the firing of three police officials were upheld by the Fort Smith Civil Service Commission in December were factors in Friday’s decision, Reed said.
The Fort Smith Board of Directors will meet in executive session Tuesday to discuss the final decision about Lindsey’s continued employment with the city, Reed said.
City Director Velvet Barrows said Friday she would withdraw from the session. “I don’t want to have any say in the matter,” she said.
The Ward 2 director is mar- ried to former police Maj. Jeff Barrows whom Lindsey placed on leave and then fired in October for, among other things, undermining Lindsey’s authority as chief.
Read MoreFormer Fayetteville Arkansas Police Officer Jeremy Boyd Grammer Jailed Pending Sentencing For Distribution Of Child Pornography, Despite His Fear Of Being Behind Bars With Criminals Like Himself
February 15th, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS - A former Fayetteville police officer was ordered to jail Thursday despite his concern for his safety behind bars. Jeremy Boyd Grammer, 31, pleaded guilty to distributing child pornography over the Internet. The federal crime carries a prison term of five to 20 years. Grammer, a 10-year police veteran, had been free on $ 5, 000 bond. He requested home detention with an electronic monitoring device until his sentencing in 30-45 days.
He testified at Thursday’s plea hearing he’d “absolutely” be in danger if jailed locally because he’d probably run into one of the hundreds of people he has arrested in his career.
“I’d worry about myself, as well as the safety of the guards protecting me,” said Grammer, who was a K-9 officer, detective and member of the Fayetteville Police Department’s SWAT team.
Read MoreFormer Fayetteville Arkansas Police Officer Jeremy Boyd Grammer’s Guilty Plea To Child Pornography Delayed
February 14th, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS — A judge Monday postponed a hearing for a former Fayetteville police officer who was scheduled to plead guilty to a federal child pornography charge. U. S. District Judge Jimm L. Hendren reset the plea hearing for Jeremy Boyd Grammer to 4: 30 p.m. Thursday. Grammer’s attorneys asked for the continuance in Hendren’s chambers Monday afternoon. Neither they nor a prosecutor would disclose the reason for the delay. Grammer, 31, of Fayetteville, was set to plead guilty to one count of distributing child pornography on the Internet. He was in court Monday, along with his wife and parents, for the scheduled plea, then left after the continuance was granted.
Grammer faces between five and 20 years in prison on the charge. His attorneys want him to remain free on bond and under house arrest until sentencing.
Read MoreFormer Fort Smith Arkansas Police Chief Randy Reed And Police Officer Sued Brad Lokey For Negligence After Woman Ends Up Dead
February 14