BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — A Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was reinstated by Sheriff Kelley Cradduck following a grievance hearing in November 2015 filed another grievance against the sheriff Tuesday (Jan. 12).
Robin Holt was reinstated Nov. 18, 2015 after she and another deputy, Jeremy Guyll, filed grievances against Sheriff Cradduck stating that he had demoted them because they reported actions they deemed inappropriate to Arkansas State Police prompting an investigation into the sheriff.
Both Holt and Guyll claim Cradduck had asked them to falsify employee records for former deputy Gabriel Cox, who has since been fired after being cited for marijuana possession by Rogers police. The sheriff announced he was reinstating the deputies to their prior positions after the grievance committee ruled they qualified as whistle-blowers and where therefore protected under the Arkansas Whistle-Blower Act.
Cradduck wasn’t present during the grievance hearing in November, but claimed he had demoted the deputies because of a video they made mimicking rape suspects and victims.
The latest grievance filed in Holt’s name states “Sheriff Cradduck has engaged in a calculated campaign to retaliate against and threaten Lt. Holt, the other whistle-blowers who cooperated with the pending Arkansas State Police investigation, and any other Benton County Sheriff’s Office employee who the Sheriff believes to be associated with or supportive of the whistle-blowers.” The grievance then lists specific instances that include:
- the sheriff telling his employees that “heads are going to roll” following the primary election in March,
- the sheriff initiating baseless internal affairs investigations targeting the whistle-blowers who participated in the ASP investigation,
- the sheriff and his wife mocking Holt’s November grievance hearing,
- the sheriff revoking work-hour gym use to target the whistle-blowers,
- the sheriff defaming Holt in a January press conference.
The grievance concludes by stating “the level of unprofessional and threatening behavior by the Sheriff continues to escalate, while morale continues to decline” and requests another hearing before the grievance committee.
To read the full grievance, click here.
Cradduck is running for reelection for a third term. His campaign tells 5NEWS this grievance filing is a way to negatively impact the sheriff’s campaign and waste taxpayer dollars.
