A bombshell dropped at the Thursday, July 17th, Quorum Court meeting: For the past year and a half, the Washington County Sheriff’s Department has been under multiple investigations for possible misuse of county property and theft of funds. While a state Special Prosecutor did not find evidence to file criminal charges, no one was exonerated, and civil charges of “illegal exaction” are still hanging.
The probes included:
- an internal investigation by the Sheriff’s Department,
- a separate investigation by the County Attorney’s office,
- a third investigation by Arkansas State Police.
County Judge Patrick Deakins said at the meeting that the investigation by his office suggested "failures at leadership and policy levels" within the Sheriff's Office, not with the rank-and-file officers. The information gathered in an investigation by the administration has been filed in the Circuit Clerk's Office and will be open to the public. The internal investigation by the Sheriff's Office is not part of that material, nor is the result of the investigation by the Arkansas State Police. A letter from the Special Prosecutor is included.
He also called on the Quorum Court to work on needed reforms.
The video announcing this investigation is cued here:
Transcript:
"Over the course of last year, our office received credible complaints regarding both the misuse of county property and theft of county funds at the Sheriff’s Office. After a review of the internal investigations, an office of professional conduct reports produced by the Sheriff's Office, I found their inquiry inadequate. As a result, I requested Chief of Staff Stewart, County Attorney Lester, and Deputy County Attorney Baker to conduct an independent investigation. While personnel matters pertaining to this instance will always be underneath the authority of the Sheriff, county property is underneath the authority of the County Judge, per the Arkansas Constitution.
Our investigation was forwarded to the Arkansas State Police on November 12, 2024. A Special Prosecutor was eventually assigned - I’m not sure of all these dates as they moved through these channels - and we have received a letter dated July 2, 2025 from Special Prosecutor Jason Barrett, who found part of the investigation did not rise to criminal prosecution, and that accusations that did have merit would be better handled by the civil procedures and the provisions of an illegal exaction, and that futher action should be considered by the civil County Attorney’s Office, which is County Attorney Lester.
I want to say this has been an incredibly difficult time for our county. We are a family, and we love one another, and we do everything we can to support all of our missions in the county, whether we’re directly involved or indirectly involved. Sunshine and transparency are the only medicine for this issue. As such, all of our investigatory materials from the County Judge’s office have been filed with the Circuit Clerk’s office and are fully available for public viewing.
I want to speak directly to the officers who wear the badge, who so bravely serve us: this is by no means any reflection upon anything you do day to day. Your honor and dedication are preserved through this investigation. Any failures will be at leadership or policy levels. We look forward to working with the Quorum Court on needed reforms.
And finally, and most importantly to the public, as public servants, we are bound by constitutional duty to ensure that every public asset is managed with the utmost care and integrity. Every single resource entrusted to us at the county comes from the hardworking hands of the Washington County taxpayers, and we will not tolerate waste, misuse, or threat to those resources. We enforce a strict zero-tolerance policy for any actions that undermine the public’s trust, and we are taking immediate steps to strengthen our oversight and prevent future misconduct. Our commitment to safeguarding the interests of Washington County remains unwavering, and we will continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards of accountability because that is what you, the taxpayers, demand."
Latest News: KNWA, July 22, 2025 Washington County Sheriff’s Office employees won’t face criminal charges for misuse of county prop
This article contains the first details of the allegations
Read and watch more: 5NEWS, July 18, 2025 'Failures' | Judge shares investigation results after Washington County Sheriff's Office accused of theft
Read more: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 18, 2025 Special prosecutor: No criminal charges in Sheriff’s Office investigation, but ‘did not exonerate anyone’ | Report details findings of possible illegal exaction
Update: I now have a copy of two reports, which include recommendations for the Quorum Court to take action to prevent this from happening again.
Stay tuned for more details.