BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials had eight candidates to consider for interim sheriff as of Friday.
A pair of local law enforcement professionals submitted letters of interest Thursday, while two others with law enforcement experience withdrew their applications Friday.
Sheriff candidates
Former sheriff Andy Lee and former sheriff Keith Ferguson submitted letters of interest in serving as interim Benton County sheriff, as did Lynn Hahn, a major with the Sheriff’s Office, and Robert Bersi, who retired last year as a captain with the Springdale Police Department. Johnie Wood of Bentonville, Meyer Gilbert of Siloam Springs, Joseph Fabits of Bentonville and John D. Concoby of Rogers round out the field of candidates.
Source: Benton County Clerk
Lynn Hahn, a major at the Sheriff's Office, has served 12 years with the agency. He started as a part-time deputy and was hired full time in 2007.
Robert Bersi of Springdale, a 28-year veteran of the Springdale Police Department who retired in June as a captain, also submitted a letter of interest.
Candidates Mike Jones and Timothy Filbeck withdrew their names. Jones, a former Rogers police chief and captain with the Sheriff's Office, said he initially agreed to be considered for the job but decided his family responsibilities wouldn't allow him to give it the full attention it deserves.
Filbeck, who ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in the March 1 Republican Party primary, said Hahn's decision to seek the post prompted him to reconsider and to withdraw.
Hahn said Friday morning he believes the position should be filled from within the Sheriff's Office.
"I wholeheartedly believe it should be someone who is already in place, whoever that might be," he said. "There's been so much turmoil over the past couple of years. There's more than 250 employees and right now they're terrified. They don't know what's going to happen from day to day."
The office is running well, but employee morale has been battered while Sheriff Kelley Cradduck has been embroiled in controversy that surrounds the investigation into his conduct, Hahn said.
Cradduck faces a felony charge he tampered with a public record and a misdemeanor tampering charge. He's set for a three-day jury trial in September, but a hearing for next week was set Friday. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Quorum Court last week approved paying Cradduck $80,000 to resign. The figure is roughly equal to the salary and benefits he would have received if he had worked through December, which is the end of his term.
Cradduck was defeated in the Republican primary. Shawn Holloway, who until recently was a major at the Sheriff's Office, won the nomination and will face Glenn Latham, an independent candidate, in the November election. Neither candidate is eligible to serve as interim sheriff under state law, according to George Spence, county attorney.
Bersi said his application is simply a way to offer to help the community. As a lifelong resident of Northwest Arkansas and a nine-year resident of Benton County, he has been concerned by the troubles in the Sheriff's Office.
"They are in a position right now where the Sheriff's Office is in need of leadership," Bersi said. "I had the experience and the qualifications and thought I might try to do something."
The interim sheriff needs to provide stability and make the transition to a new administration in January as smooth as possible, Bersi said. The office needs to work on mending its relationships with other area law enforcement agencies, something he said he can help with given his 28 years with the Springdale Police Department, he said.
The Committee of the Whole will meet at 6 p.m. Monday to interview candidates. The goal is to name an interim sheriff at the Quorum Court meeting Thursday. Kurt Moore, justice of the peace and chairman of the Committee of the Whole, recommended a question-and-answer format for the interviews.
The process is meant to allow the justices of the peace to hear from the candidates, the public and from each other before a decision is reached, Moore said. Candidates will be called into the Quorum Court meeting room in alphabetical order by their last names and allowed to speak for five minutes. The justices of the peace then will have 10 minutes to ask questions of the candidate. After all of the candidates make their presentations and are questioned, the committee plans a 30-minute endorsement/public comment period with comments limited to two minutes per person, including justices of the peace.
Justices of the peace then will have another 25 minutes for questions, followed by a roll-call vote. After the initial roll-call vote, the justices of the peace will be allowed to change their votes if they choose. The top two candidates will be invited to the Quorum Court meeting Thursday unless one candidate receives at least eight votes Monday night. There are 15 members on the Quorum Court.
NW News on 04/23/2016