CRAWFORD COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Former Johnson County Sheriff James "Jimmy" Stephens has pleaded guilty to drug charges after his Dec. 2022 arrest during an FBI investigation, and officials confirm that as a convicted felon, Stephens cannot serve as an elected official in Arkansas.
Now, Johnson County has 30 days to publish a resolution declaring the vacancy of office and hire a new sheriff. Johnson County Judge Herman Houston says the process will involve posting the job in the local paper by next week, receiving eligible resumes, and then hosting public interviews before the quorum court votes.
The new sheriff will be expected to carry out the remaining three years of former Sheriff Jimmy Stephens' term.
According to court documents, Stephens was identified as a suspect during an FBI narcotics and corruption investigation, and on Dec. 3, 2022, the FBI asked Arkansas State Police (ASP) to pull over Stephens after they reportedly witnessed him leave a house in his patrol vehicle with drugs. 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.
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