WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Allegations of theft and misuse of Washington County funds and equipment have reportedly been detailed in reports that are now going to be reviewed by prosecutors.
5NEWS obtained a Nov. 22 email from Judge Patrick Deakins to members of the quorum court that reports "credible allegations" of potential misuse or theft of county property and funds have been collected over the past year by his office.
"Based upon that information, I tasked Chief of Staff Stewart and Counselors Lester and Baker to undertake an internal investigation. We have completed that work, and the findings were substantiated enough to forward our report to PA Durrett’s office," Deakins said.
WCSO responded to a request for comment from 5NEWS that same day, sharing that the allegations months ago prompted an internal investigation.
"Several months ago, the Sheriff’s Office became aware of some allegations and conducted an internal investigation. The findings were then given to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office," a spokesperson for WCSO said. "Later, at the request of the County Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office internal investigation was provided to them. They conducted their own internal investigation. Those results were recently turned over to the Washington County Prosecutor’s Office as well."
The spokesperson said that WCSO is "committed to transparency," adding that the office's comments on the investigation will be limited in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Deakins said that this has been an "extremely difficult and emotional process" for his office, but that he remains "committed to transparency" and fulfilling constitutional duties.
"I ask for your grace if we have seemed preoccupied. This process has taken a lot of our team’s bandwidth," Deakins said. "Our comments on an open investigation will be limited to protect the ongoing process."
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