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Former Benton County Sheriff Sentenced To Six Months Probation In Plea Deal

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — Former Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck pleaded no contest to misdemeanor tampering during a hearing Friday (April 29) and agr...

BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) -- Former Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck pleaded no contest to misdemeanor tampering during a hearing Friday (April 29) and agreed to six months probation and a $500 fine, plus court costs and a booking fee.

The felony tampering with public records charge was dropped.

By pleading no contest, Cradduck was found guilty, special prosecutor Jason Barrett said. The misdemeanor tampering charge will be considered an "infamous crime," which means Cradduck will be ineligible to hold public office in Arkansas again.

However, Cradduck's attorney, Drew Miller, said his client will be eligible to have his record expunged after completing his sentence and disagreed with Barrett on whether Cradduck will be eligible to run for public office in the future.

Barrett said the misdemeanor charge stems from Cradduck telling an employee to lie during an Arkansas State Police investigation into whether the then-sheriff asked employees to backdate the start date of a new jailer by two weeks.

Arkansas State Police arrested the sheriff Jan. 19 at the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.

Cradduck submitted his conditional resignation to the Quorum Court on April 11, and it was unanimously approved April 15. The conditions of his resignation included the payment of roughly $80,000 for his salary and health insurance contributions through the end of 2016.

Cradduck lost the Republican nomination for sheriff March 1.

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