BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) — A Benton County Sheriff’s Office chief deputy has agreed to pay a $1,000 fine after an ethics violation was filed against him for using a county car to drive to Florida on vacation on two occasions.
Richie Connor sent a letter to the members of the Benton County Quorum Court Tuesday (April 12) in which he stated his intentions to pay the fine to the Arkansas Ethics Commission.
Justice of the Peace Kevin Harrison filed a complaint with the Ethics Commission in December 2015. He named Connor and Sheriff Kelley Cradduck in the complaint.
Harrison said he found out about the use of the Ford Expedition when he visited the sheriff’s office and noticed the chief deputy moving personal items from a private car into the county vehicle.
Harrison also contacted Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith, who conducted his own investigation and concluded criminal charges weren’t warranted because he felt the situation was a misunderstanding, not a criminal act. Smith said Connor told him he felt he was allowed to use the vehicle.
The county policy states county employees are not to use county property for personal use. A document obtained by 5NEWS shows Connor signed the policy document. But Smith said there are exceptions to the rule and that may be confusing to some. Smith said elected county officials can give permission to employees to take vehicles for personal use. It’s not clear whether Connor got permission from Cradduck.
In his letter to the Justices of the Peace, Connor writes the Ethics Commission sent him an offer of settlement and a letter of reprimand or gave him the option of a public hearing where he’d have the opportunity to provide testimony or evidence in his defense before any judgement. Conner declined the hearing and accepted the offer.
In the letter, Connor writes: “The earlier media reports of an unclear vehicle policy or that I thought it was permissible are irrelevant, there is no way to justify a bad decision. I made the decision to get in the vehicle and drive and I must accept and live with that mistake, there are no excuses. I have great respect for the Ethics Commission and I believe the offer is fair.”
In a letter to Connor dated March 29, the Ethics Commission states there was probable cause the chief deputy violated Arkansas code in that he used or attempted to use his official position to secure special privileges or exemptions by using the county vehicle.
The Ethics Commission found Connor took two trips in the Expedition from Bentonville to Perdido Key, Florida, which added up to driving the vehicle a total of about 2,872 miles.
The letter from the commission also states:
While both you and Sheriff Cradduck stated that there was no policy that specifically prohibited the personal use of a county vehicle for a vacation, the policy excerpt provided by Sheriff Cradduck does that that improper use or operation of vehicles may result in disciplinary action. Moreover, Section 2014 of the Benton County Employment Policy Handbook contains a specific rule of conduct which provides that Benton County employees shall not use county funds, supplies, equipment, or facilities for purposes other than to conduct official county business.
And goes on: “It does not take a specific policy to establish that driving a publicly owned vehicle for thousands of miles on a personal vacation is a special privilege.”
