Having had several days to more thoughtfully consider the ongoing state police investigation into Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck, I have some additional thoughts to share.
First, I sincerely hope it proves untrue that the second-term sheriff allegedly ordered his female deputy, Lt. Robin Holt, to illegally backdate the start date for Cradduck's newly hired friend, Gabriel Cox. That act would have enabled Cox to gain an extra week's pay.
I also hope that Cox's claim that she was demoted after refusing to comply with the alleged order, and for cooperating on the investigation, is not proven. Instead of complying, she says she took her concerns to her superior, Capt. Jeremy Guyll, who supported her and contacted the Arkansas State Police.
Cox and Guyll--who says he, too, was demoted afterwards--each filed grievances, claiming shelter beneath the state's whistle-blower act.
Although Special Prosecutor Jason Barrett has been sworn to investigate and prosecute Cradduck should facts dictate, it remained unclear as of deadline last week just what Barrett is investigating.
Nonetheless, I feel certain the allegations most likely include the alleged backdating incident and circumstances swirling around Cox's hiring.
Moreover, District 5 Justice of the Peace Kevin Harrison, who has said he's considered himself a friend of Cradduck's, says he asked the FBI months ago to investigate various actions by the sheriff after a number of deputies had made Harrison aware of their concerns about the way the office was being managed.
Since the FBI doesn't comment, we don't know whether that agency has been examining Cradduck. In short, my friends, this has become a serious, sticky and stinkin' mess for the sheriff, as well as the good people of Benton County.
The sad scenario that has unfolded in earnest during the past year strikes me as involving a much different Kelley Cradduck than the dynamic youthful lawman I've known for several years. Granted, I've never worked for the man, which could well be a different story than sharing a lunch now and then.
These allegations sound more like something a crony-oriented Arkansas sheriff the likes of the late Marlin Hawkins or Coolidge Conlee would do than the man I knew with innovative plans after election to help shape the Benton County sheriff's office into the state's finest. Back in 2010 I could see the excitement in his eyes as he assumed office.
But lately it's become a much different story. He's repeatedly made negative headlines by threatening Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Tracy Neal with arrest for simply trying to attend his press conference for TV reporters. Then he oddly held a closed department meeting inside a church. There also were the revelations about Cradduck's chief deputy using a department vehicle to take a vacation to Florida and such misuse by others. Only last month, the Benton County prosecutor sent Cradduck a message saying he still needed to provide a specific written policy about his department's personnel use of county-owned vehicles.
Perhaps some of Cradduck's behavioral changes can be attributed to the consequences and stresses reflected by his recent hospitalization for serious medical concerns, as well as his wife being ill for some time. Even those unfortunate circumstances wouldn't constitute a valid excuse if the latest allegations prove valid.
In a number of ways, I believe the man has indeed made strides toward his goals for improving the sheriff's office. But in others, the once bright skies he enjoyed have ominously darkened.
Most would agree that for Circuit Judge Brad Karren to swear in a special prosecutor following a state police investigation (and for the FBI to possibly also be involved) there's a reasonable chance so much smoke is being generated by a fire.
I found a news account by reporter Doug Thompson particularly disturbing. He wrote about Capt. Guyll's grievance which said Cradduck was interviewed by state police at his home on Oct. 13. That day Cradduck called Guyll to say he'd been interviewed and was, Guyll's grievance says, "extremely mad and asked what Captain Guyll knew about the investigation."
Cradduck then forwarded Guyll and other employees a text message after his interview "stating he was going to put the employees 'on the box,' a term referring to polygraph testing," to discover the whistle-blowers, Guyll's grievance continues, adding that Cradduck called Guyll into his office the following day and told Guyll to tell him everything about the investigation.
In Thompson's account, Cradduck told Guyll, "if the sheriff lost his job over the investigation then Captain Guyll would also lose his job," according to the filing.
Thus far, the investigation (or investigations) continue. There's been no arrest or charges filed. That matters because as we know, everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But I still can't help but shake my head that Kelley Cradduck's career has funneled down to this. I recall the idealistic quote he tweeted in 2010 while seeking this office he desperately wanted: "Your strengths are what define you. Use them to make others stronger and you will grow."
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/08/2015