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Andy Andregg
TUESDAY, October 24, 2017 / Vol. 3 Issue 43 / 75 cents
Sheriff gets OK to hire 3
Taking on cancer – It was Pink Out night in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month at Friday night’s football game. The Yellow Jackets were led on to the field by two Jacket mothers who are breast cancer survivors. The boys wore pink socks as they made short work of the Marshall Bobcats. Football Fever, Pages 8-9
Most of Thursday’s Quorum Court meeting was taken up with the new sheriff pleading his case to replace himself and another deputy. Randy Gurley, who became sheriff on Oct. 1 with the resignation of longtime sheriff Scott Bradley, asked to hire Max Young as chief deputy and to replace David Hess who is now the Clinton School resource officer. He also asked to hire another jailer to replace one who left. Justice of the Peace, and head of the budget committee, Dale James told Gurley “we can’t hardly justify all the trimming” in other departments and allow
See Damascus on page 3
uty and we need David replaced.” Gurley was obviously expecting the opposition. He brought a letter from Rainwater, Holt & Sexton law firm that stated that if the sheriff notifies the quorum court of the need for additional jailers and the quorum court deliberately does not appropriate the necessary funds, they can be held liable individually for damages in the event of a lawsuit. The sheriff told the Quorum Court that so far this year, deputies have made 2,613 arrests. That compares to 4,278 in 2016 and 2,694 in 2015. He said See Sheriff on page 3
Budget committee looking for cuts
Police still can’t write tickets
Cody Hiland is gone, but Damascus police still can’t write tickets on Highway 65. In February, Hiland, who was the 20th Judicial District prosecuting attorney, found that Damascus was a “speed trap” and as a result its officers could no longer write traffic tickets on a stretch of Highway 65 through their town. He ruled that the sanctions would remain in place through the end of his term. Since then, Hiland has become the U.S. Eastern District attorney, and some wondered if that would end the sanctions.
the sheriff’s office to continue to hire. He read figures on how many employees sheriff’s offices in same-sized counties have, including Grant County, population 17,500 with 24, Drew County, population 18,000 with 25 full time and one parttime, and Van Buren County, population about 17,000 with 39 employees. Gurley and Jail Administrator Randy Murray pointed out that Van Buren County is different, that there is a lake and annual chuckwagon races that bring in 20,000 people. “We do a lot of things that ya’ll can’t see,” Gurley said. “We need a chief dep-
Putting on the dog – Vendors, dog lovers and pets, including Dinah Pup, a Shorkie dressed as Elsa from “Frozen,” turned out Saturday for the Dogtoberfest fundraiser for SNYP Arkansas and Fuzzy Hearts Rescue. Later that evening, Elvis impersonator Tom Christopher performed at the park.
The Van Buren County Quorum Court budget committee met last Tuesday to start hashing out the county’s finances for 2018. The committee members are looking for about $360,000 to cut. The committee heard from Circuit Clerk Debbie Gray, Assessor Trina Jones, Coroner Joe Tsosie, Treasurer Kim Hunley, County Judge Roger Hooper, County Clerk Pam Bradford, and Craig Fisher from the Safety and Maintenance department. Jones said she knew her payroll had to be reduced and said one person has offered to leave. Gray was told
that she cannot replace an employee who is retiring at the end of this year. Committee Chairman Dale James said her office has more employees than other counties of comparable size. Bradford has cut one full-time and one part-time employee in her office. The Voter Registration office budget was increased a bit because of 2018 elections. The Quorum Court cut its budget by $7,291.05. “If we cut anymore, we’ll have to start cutting positions,” Justice of the Peace Dell Holt joked. “And what is your district?” JP Mary See Budget on page 3
Audience, panel grill Southern CEO
Remains found – Clinton Police Lt. Eric Koonce turns over cremated remains found in Clinton City Park to county Coroner Joe Tsosie last week. The remains were in a backpack lost by a man who was arrested for indecent exposure after being found running through the park wearing only a garbage bag last August. A couple walking in the park found the backpack Oct. 12.
The CEO of Southern Paramedic Services faced some tough questions and complaints at a meeting of the county ambulance board last week. The meeting was supposed to be about a former workers’ breach of contract complaints, but most saw it as a chance to vent about the ambulance service’s performance at the Oct. 6 Yellow Jacket football game. In a widely seen video, Yellow Jacket player Caleb Bowman lay on the sidelines struggling to breathe as a paramedic is seen strolling across the field. When the paramedic arrived, he told the doctor he needed to assess Bowman instead of doing as the
Gary Padget listens to Todd Hink at the Oct. 16 ambulance committee meeting. doctor told him to, according to some who spoke at the meeting, including the doctor. When the EMT arrived, he was flustered and though he had what he needed to get some oxygen started, he could not find it, according to Southern CEO Gary Padget. Folks also were upset that the ambulance did not come onto the field to pick up the boy. Padget said the paramedic had fol-
lowed protocol, including his pace across the field. (First responders interviewed by The Voice afterward agreed that there was nothing wrong with the paramedic’s speed.) Team Dr. Keith Coward said the paramedic was rude to him; Padget said he did not know that and it was not acceptable. The paramedic is no longer working in Van Buren County, Padget said.
Padget said the school did not allow the ambulance on the field or track. Since the event, he has met with the Clinton mayor and the school district superintendent and they have agreed on changes for ball games. The ambulance still will not come onto the field, but a cart will be on the sidelines in case a player needs taken off the field, and a paramedic will be stationed on the 50-yard sideline. From the audience, Todd Hink, a former North Little Rock firefighter, said he was disturbed that the ambulance crew does not take everything it might need into a home when See Southern on page 3