Attorney Must Remain On Bella Vista Man's Case

Ronald Vince Fennell

Ronald Vince Fennell

Saturday, March 15, 2014

BENTONVILLE -- A Bella Vista man maintained his innocence Thursday afternoon, and claimed his arrest was part of a a "political" plot.

Ronald Vince Fennell, 47, is charged with terroristic threatening, a Class D felony, carrying a weapon and possession of a loaded weapon, both misdemeanors.

Fennell's arrest stems from threats he's accused of making during a phone conversation with state Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, according to court documents.

The Jan. 18, 2013, telephone conversation between Fennell and Hester lasted 30 minutes. Fennell complained to Hester about the Bentonville Police Department. He accused department employees of telling lies and committing perjury.

Fennell told Hester he was bullied, and his career had been ruined. "If information like this gets out to the public, that's what makes people go into courthouses and police departments with assault weapons," Fennell said to Hester,.

Fennell appeared in court Thursday for a hearing concerning his attorney's request to be allowed to withdraw from the case.

Fayetteville attorney Herb Southern, who represents Fennell, told Circuit Judge Robin Green that Fennell informed him he filed a complaint against him with the Office of the Committee on Professional Conduct. Southern said he hadn't seen the complaint, and the only information he had was what Fennell told him.

Southern said Fennell believes Southern mishandled his case and is colluding with prosecutors against him. Green noted Southern is the third attorney to represent Fennell.

Fennell told the judge he believes Southern is a competent and capable attorney, but questioned Southern's sincerity, along with that of his two previous attorneys.

"The only thing I'm sure of is I'm sitting in the Benton County jail for something I didn't do.... political reasons," Fennell said.

Fennell told the judge he couldn't afford to hire another attorney. Fennell even talked about representing himself, but didn't believe it was possible because he has been denied access to the law library at the jail.

Fennell said he only wants honest jurors, and the truth would come out. "It's not only false but malicious -- political," Fennell said about the charges against him.

The judge denied Southern's request to withdraw and he will remain on the case.

Fennell's jury trial is scheduled to begin April 8.

Fennell wanted to know whether he could hire another attorney before his trial.

The judge told Fennell it's his decision to hire another attorney, but that person would assist Southern.

Bentonville police arrested Fennell twice, leading to a conviction on two counts of harassment stemming from the separate incidents. The first was in December 2010 during a fundraising event at Cooper Elementary School in Bella Vista. The second in the summer of 2011 when Fennell was accused of harassing workers at a public pool in Bentonville.

Fennell claimed Thursday he was being targeted by Bentonville police, school officials, pool workers and others.

Fennell has had a court-ordered mental evaluation and was found fit to stand trial.

Fennell appealed his 2012 convictions to Benton County Circuit Court.

When arrested Jan. 24, 2012, officers found nun-chucks, a small baseball bat and a loaded .38-caliber handgun in the front passenger seat of Fennell's vehicle.

Fennell is being held on $350,000 bond in the Benton County Jail.

NW News on 03/15/2014