WEST FORK (KFSM) – Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, said on Tuesday (June 16) that he will not seek re-election.
Harris also said he will finish out his current term and doesn’t plan to resign.
In March, a report was released stating that Harris re-homed two adopted girls with Eric Frances of Bella Vista. Court records show Francis later pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting one of them.
After the report came out, Harris’ attorney released a statement on the issue.
“Rep. and Mrs. Harris have suffered a severe injustice. Due to threats of possible abandonment charges, they were unable to reach out to [the Arkansas Department of Human Services] for help with children who presented a serious risk of harm to other children in their home. Upon the advice of both a psychiatrist and a pediatrician, they were forced to move the children to the home of trusted friends, who had a lot of experience with children with reactive attachment disorder. Rep. and Mrs. Harris are devastated about the outcome of that decision, but faced with no good option, they did the best that they knew how.”
Arkansas legislators later passed two bills banning the practice of re-homing, officials said.
