BENTONVILLE — An August jury trial is scheduled for a former Washington County constable accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer.
Tommy Clowers, 65, of Springdale is charged with criminal impersonation in the first degree and possession of emergency lights. He previously pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Circuit Judge Robin Green on Monday scheduled Clowers’ jury trial to begin Aug. 20. A pretrial hearing will be Aug. 19.
“I believe there is a good amount of evidence out there that shows Tom did not commit this offense,” Derrick Allison, the attorney for Clowers, said.
Allison said he could not comment on specific details of the case.
Clowers was arrested Jan. 25 and is now free on a $2,500 bond.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a man who said he was stopped and was concerned the person wasn’t a law enforcement officer. The complainant said the man who stopped him had emergency lights on his vehicle and wore a jacket with a sewn-on badge, but the man left the scene when asked for his identification, according to an affidavit states.
Deputy Jason Wood was on patrol in Bentonville on Jan. 18 and saw a vehicle equipped to look like a police car. There was a badge decal on one door that read “Civil Officer.” Wood recorded the vehicle’s tag number. The information Wood collected led to Clowers, according to court documents.
Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Springdale police searched Clowers’ home and found several items including the “Civil Officer” markings and blue light bars, according to court documents.
At A Glance
Criminal Impersonation
Criminal impersonation in the first degree is a Class D felony. Possession of emergency lights is a Class A misdemeanor.
Source: Staff Report
Clowers is a former police officer at Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill, but he doesn’t work for any law enforcement agency now, according to a new release from the Sheriff’s Office. Clowers told deputies he believes he has the right to make traffic, according to court documents.
Clowers, a Springdale Republican, first was elected constable in 1998, according to a 2010 news report. He lost the constable race in the May 2012 preferential primary. Clowers’ constable term ended Dec. 31.