BENTONVILLE — A Rogers man has been free for months while he was supposed to be in prison and there’s confusion about who’s responsible.
A warrant for Clayton Shatswell’s arrest was issued last week after Benton County prosecutors learned he wasn’t in prison.
Shatswell was sentenced June 11 to 10 years in the Arkansas Department of Correction after pleading guilty to forgery, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was charged as a habitual offender.
He was first taken to the Benton County Jail before being transferred to the Washington County Detention Center to face charges tied to a 2014 case.
Shatswell was charged with escape in 2014 after leaving the Northwest Arkansas Work Release Center in Springdale. He was captured in Rogers.
Shatswell pleaded guilty to the escape charge in 2015, and he was sentenced to three years in prison and given a three-year suspended sentence.
Prosecutors filed a motion to revoke the suspended sentence after his arrest in the Benton County incidents.
Shatswell appeared in court in July in the revocation case and was released from the Washington County Detention Center on a $2,500 bond. He returned to court in September and admitted his violation in the revocation case and given a 12-month suspended sentence.
Shatswell left court and wasn’t returned to Benton County.
Benton County Prosecutor Nathan Smith said his office was informed Jan. 2 that Shatswell wasn’t in prison.
Smith said they obtained a new warrant for Shatswell; approved nationwide extradition; contacted local law enforcement in every part of the state where Shatswell lived and alerted federal authorities.
Sgt. Shannon Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, said Shatswell was released with a hold to Washington County to face charges before being taken to the Arkansas Department of Correction.
“We do not know why WCSO released him instead of bringing him back to BCSO,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins said they learned of Shatswell’s release when the Department of Correction called to fill open beds.
“We picked him up from Benton County on a ‘warrant pick-up,’ which means 99 percent of the time, the agency you pick them up from is through with them and does not want them back,” Kelly Cantrell, a spokeswoman for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, said. “We have no documentation indicating Benton County SO wanted him back after we were through with him.”
Cantrell said there has been a conversation with Benton County about the case, but there’s nothing indicating Benton County provided any documentation requesting Shatswell be returned to Benton County after the Washington County case was resolved.
Kevin Lammers, Shatswell’s attorney in the Benton County case declined to comment.
Shatswell hadn’t been apprehended as of Friday.
Tracy M. Neal can be reached by email at [email protected] or Twitter @NWATracy.
