BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) - So far three candidates have entered the race to try to unseat current Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck.
Currently Paul Pillaro is a lieutenant at the Lowell Police Department. He joined Siloam Springs police Cpl. Tim Filbeck and Glenn Latham, a senior systems administrator at Walmart and former detective in the sheriff’s offices in Benton and Washington counties, in the race for sheriff July 27.
5NEWS asked Pillaro about his stance on some of the most talked about issues in Arkansas, like his interpretation of the state's open carry law.
“Personally, I do not believe we should be arresting somebody for legally open carrying,” Pillaro said. “I found [the law] to mean that there is open carry. It specifically states that [a gun] can be carried, as long as it is not to be used illegally against another person.”
As for jail overcrowding, Pillaro said using alternative sentencing programs, like drug court, is one way to solve the issue.
“It is just something that everyone is going to have to get together on and fix it as a group instead of each individual entity having to fix it on its own,” Pillaro said.
Pillaro said his main goal as sheriff would be to reduce the number of domestic violence cases in the county. He said ending domestic crimes was a passion of his after he lost his grandmother, aunt and sister to domestic violence.
“I can [limit domestic violence] on a bigger scale,” Pillaro said. “I do it now, and I want to continue to do it.”
Pillaro said he hopes his experience and passion will earn him the sheriff's badge.
“I love law enforcement. I love helping people,” Pillaro said. “That is what I do. That is who I am.”
The sheriff's race is more than eight months away, which allows other candidates to still enter the race. 5NEWS will be following the race and will be interviewing each candidate.