CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Former Johnson County Sheriff James "Jimmy" Stephens has pled guilty to felony possession of a controlled substance after his Dec. 2022 arrest during an FBI investigation.
Crawford County Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Holmes confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, Oct. 25, that Stephens pled guilty to the charge and resigned from his position as sheriff at midnight. Holmes said Stephens was sentenced to 6 years of probation, a $10,000 fine, and other fees totaling $590. "Mr. Stephens must not commit any crime punishable by imprisonment during those 6 years and must pay all his fines and fees within 60 days along with other terms and conditions," the statement says.
Stephens was arrested in December 2022 and later charged with possession of drugs and firearms. According to the arrest affidavit, Stephens was identified as a suspect during an FBI narcotics and corruption investigation. On Dec. 3, 2022, the FBI asked Arkansas State Police to pull over Stephens after they reportedly witnessed him leave a house in his patrol vehicle and believed he had illegal drugs in his possession.
When troopers pulled Stephens over, the affidavit says they found three oxycodone, two hydrocodones, a small amount of marijuana, and approximately nine ounces of marijuana butter in his patrol vehicle.
When arrested, Stephens told troopers he was in Crawford County "visiting his confidential informants."
“We appreciate the hard work of the Arkansas State Police, the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Arkansas and other local and regional partners that assisted in the prosecution of this case. While I’ve heard rumors of other crimes that Mr. Stephens may have committed, none of those would have occurred in Crawford County. Mr. Stephens was given the same consideration as any other drug addict in our County however the primary focus was getting Mr. Stephens removed from law enforcement and public service. We never allowed his position or his name to influence the way we prosecuted this case, which is reflected in the sentence handed down by Judge McCune today,” Holmes said.
Holmes charged Sheriff Stephens on Jan. 10, 2023, with speeding, possession of drugs and firearms, and possession of a controlled substance. Stephens had his duty weapon with him in the vehicle along with the drugs, which led to the initial simultaneous charge of possession of drugs and firearms, but Holmes said the charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.
It will be up to the Quorum Court in Johnson County to find a replacement for Stephens. As a convicted felon, Stephens is no longer qualified to serve as an elected official in Arkansas.
In court on Wednesday, Crawford County Judge Marc McCune told Stephens he's to surrender his law enforcement certificate to the Arkansas Division of Law Enforcement Standards and Training by noon on Friday, Oct.27 of this year. Stephens was also ordered to render his resignation to the Governor of Arkansas by noon on Friday.
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