FORT SMITH -- The jury trial has been postponed for the Franklin County sheriff, who is accused of using unreasonable force against detainees on three separate occasions.
The trial for Anthony Boen, 50, was scheduled to begin next Monday. A new date will be set after the federal courts allow jury trials to resume, according to an order Tuesday from U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III. Jury trials have been prohibited since March 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Boen, Franklin County's sheriff since 2011, pleaded not guilty on three federal charges of deprivation of rights under color of law at his arraignment Dec. 17, 2019. He was released on an unsecured bond of $5,000 with conditions, including not entering the Sheriff's Office and relinquishing all duties except signing employee checks.
Boen's trial originally was set for Feb. 3, 2020. This is the fourth time it's been postponed.
Boen faces up to 30 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if he's convicted, according to the office of the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas.