I'm trying very hard this morning to resist comparing Centerton's Police Department with the fictitious town of Mayberry, N.C., and its bumbling yet lovable cartoonish Deputy Barney Fife.
However, truth be told, I've never been all that reliable when it come to resisting the temptation to compare and contrast. So I find myself wondering if it might be possible that a Deputy Fife wannabe was the one who arrested Fayetteville High School senior and football star Terrance Rock in connection with burglary and theft charges before properly investigating.
That would be the same embarrassing arrest for which Centerton's Police Chief Cody Harper had to publicly apologize Nov. 18. Talk about a painful skinback (my word for a retraction) that seems to me could easily have been avoided with a smidgen of actual investigation.
Police arrested Mr. Rock at school before even interviewing him. You can imagine how this seeming scandal involving a classmate immediately played out on teenage social media sites always anxious to smear and ridicule even the innocent. Rock was instantly demonized as a thief. Adding insult to such inexcusable incompetence, the youth was hauled off to jail for the night.
Reporter Tracy Neal did a good job of explaining that Rock's arrest stemmed from a September incident in which a Centerton man claimed Rock and two juveniles had stolen various items from his house. Those included a cell-phone charger, speakers and a couple of watches, police reports said.
The chief later issued a news release saying another youth and teammate of Rock's who resembles Rock had emerged after the arrest to tell a team staff member that it was he who was guilty and Rock wasn't involved in the crimes.
Neal's story said police supposedly had identified Rock as a suspect through an Instagram account that didn't even belong to Rock. That apparently occurred when the man who'd been robbed relied on his child to identify two of the three suspects through Instagram. Whoops.
Harper's face had to have turned a deeper shade of neon crimson by the time he issued his news release that said, "The Centerton Police Department is currently working to resolve the arrest of Mr. Rock as he has not committed or been implicated in the crime [for which] he was arrested. The Centerton Police Department apologizes to Mr. Rock, his family and the Fayetteville Athletic Department for this mistaken identity."
Oh, well, if they apologized, I suppose that means this costly fumble is considered all water 'neath the bridge. Well, perhaps not quite.
Neal also quoted Lance Cox, Rock's attorney, insisting without question that Rock was innocent and the arrest was a mistake from the get-go.
"It's not him," Cox told Neal, adding, "There's a 100 percent chance that they arrested the wrong guy. I'll give up my law license if that doesn't turn out to be true ... Terrance has never stepped a foot in Centerton. He does not even know the victims."
A standout running back, Rock led the Bulldogs in rushing with 828 yards on 106 carries and six touchdowns prior to the Nov. 18 home playoff game against Conway (which Fayetteville won). He also had 24 receptions for 305 yards and five touchdowns.
In the spirit
Northwest Arkansas has many opportunities, ranging from holiday parades to colorful Eureka Springs and nearby Branson, to get me feeling the Christmas spirit.
That was never more the case last weekend when my son and granddaughter joined us in visiting a yuletide festive Silver Dollar City in Branson and taking in a movie at the city's IMAX theater complex (big refillable popcorn and rocking chairs, of course). Those were followed by a darned-near-transcendent performance of the young Acrobats of China at Yakov Smirnoff's theater and an enjoyable evening over a three-course meal and equally impressive stage show aboard the Showboat Branson Belle.
Whew! Next week comes Branson Landing, a visit to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its mesmerizing Buckyball light exhibit in Bentonville and some shopping in unique and historic Eureka Springs.
So lo, let it never be written or said that an aging diabetic with a chrome hip and bona-fide Social Security and AARP credentials can't keep up with the younger crowd.
That whirlwind Branson buffet of the senses alone was enough to shock me into humming "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and finally realizing hey, it really is the holidays.
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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].
Editorial on 11/27/2016