New Crawford County sheriff vows continued integrity, accountability

VAN BUREN -- The new sheriff of Crawford County said he intends to follow the path laid out by his predecessor.

Chief Deputy Jim Damante, 58, became sheriff following the resignation of Ron Brown from the position effective midnight Tuesday. Damante will serve as sheriff until Brown's four-year term expires Dec. 31, 2022, although he won't be able to run for the position in the 2022 election, according to the county Clerk's Office.

Damante said Tuesday he has "big shoes to fill" taking Brown's place.

"He's done a fantastic job," Damante said. "We had a vision together that we've worked towards, and I'm going to continue on with that for the remainder of what would have been his term."

Damante said the Sheriff's Office will continue to focus on integrity and accountability for itself, as well as service to county residents. He also mentioned he would like to secure pay raises for his employees.

"I'm going to hold my people accountable and make sure that they have the training, the knowledge, the experience and the equipment to follow out and be able to assist the people in anything they need," Damante said.

Damante said he has worked in the Sheriff's Office for about 22 years. He's served on the department's special weapons and tactics team and in the patrol, criminal investigation, dive team and mounted patrol divisions. He was named chief deputy in 2011.

The office has 79 employees in addition to the sheriff and his chief deputy. Its budget for 2021 is $6.1 million, a spokesman for the sheriff's office said.

County Judge Dennis Gilstrap said the long tenure is what stands out the most to him about Damante. He also believes other Sheriff's Office employees trust Damante.

"I do know that, on my behalf, and I feel like with the other elected officials, that confidence is there," Gilstrap said. "That's the big part. It's easy to support someone that you have confidence in."

Roger Atwell, justice of the peace for District 13 on the Quorum Court, similarly cited Damante's years of experience and support for him among Sheriff's Office staff as to why he believed Damante would perform well in his new job.

The Quorum Court on Aug. 16 declaring a vacancy in the sheriff's position effective midnight Tuesday while appointing Damante to fill the position at the same time, the County Clerk's Office stated.

Brown, who first became sheriff on Jan. 1, 2011, said he asked if Damante could be appointed interim sheriff in his notice of retirement to Gilstrap in July. He has no doubt Damante will both continue what they built on and do things "on his own accord" to carry on with the department's integrity and professionalism.

"When I became sheriff, he was my first and only choice for chief deputy because we worked together so long, and we have a lot of the same ideas, and our policing career is based on honesty and integrity and professionalism, and we share that," Brown said. "I just know that he will continue that."

Brown said his goal was to retire after serving in law enforcement for 30 years. He came to the Sheriff's Office in 2005 as a chief deputy under Sheriff Mike Allen, prior to which they had both served in the Alma Police Department.

Arkansas voters in 2016 approved an amendment to the state constitution that extended the terms of office for certain elected county officials, including sheriffs, from two to four years.

"I'm not leaving for any bad reason or any bad thing," Brown said. "I'm just leaving because I feel like it's time in my life to retire."

Damante said he doesn't intend to run for sheriff in 2026. He instead plans to retire after 2022.

"When I finish out, it'll be 39 years in law enforcement, and it'll be a very good ending, and I'm proud the sheriff has entrusted me with taking the reins and finishing this out," Damante said. "It'll be a good ending for me."

Capt. James Mirus of the Sheriff's Office said no one had been selected to fill Damante's chief deputy position as of Tuesday.