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Little Rock Officer Fired After Gun Incident At Fayetteville Bar

The Little Rock Police Department this week fired Officer Jeffrey Harris, one of two policemen shown on surveillance video apparently with guns drawn at a Fayet...
jeffery-harris-and-rex-frederick

The Little Rock Police Department this week fired Officer Jeffrey Harris, one of two policemen shown on surveillance video apparently with guns drawn at a Fayetteville bar in April.

The termination letter from Police Chief Stuart Thomas, dated Sept. 4, states Harris violated one department general order and five rules and regulations.

“Your actions in this matter are unacceptable and are not in compliance with the high standards of the Little Rock Police Department,” the letter states.

The letter says Harris was drunk and drew his weapon and “recklessly waved it a patrons of the bar.” It also says Harris used profane language and “made a racially derogatory statement during the incident.”

The second officer, Rex Frederick, a Prairie Grove 4th Judicial Drug Task Force officer, was fired April 24, said Capt. Chris Workman of the Prairie Grove Police Department.

The photograph with the story shows Harris, left, and Frederick.

The two officers were arrested Aug. 1  on suspicion of disorderly conduct and harassment, according to Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Marc McCune, who was appointed special prosecutor in the case.

Harris also was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault.

Frederick was booked into the Washington County Detention Center on Aug. 1 and released a short time later on a $2,500 bond. Harris was briefly booked on the same day and also was released on a $2,500 bond, records show.

The incident occurred on April 13 at Billy’s Bar and Grill.

Adam Morano, the manager at Billy’s, said the incident happened after the bar owner’s son asked a visitor to leave because he and two friends had been causing problems with a group of regulars called the Polecats, who were participating in the bar’s Karaoke night.

Surveillance video shows two men with guns out at the pool hall. Three days after the incident, Frederick and Harris were suspended from duty with pay.

The two off-duty officers were not arrested the night of the incident, nor were they given breathalyzers or blood-alcohol tests, police said. Officials said both officers had been drinking.

Fayetteville Police Chief Greg Tabor said the two weren’t arrested at the scene because of conflicting statements from witnesses.

“The disturbance was over when we arrived,” he said. “A lot of the facts were disputed. I think the only thing that wasn’t disputed is that the officers had too much to drink.”

Click here to read more about the incident.

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