BENTONVILLE -- A Benton County circuit judge granted an order prohibiting a Bentonville School Board member and his sister from contacting each other for two years.
Judge Doug Schrantz issued the order last week for Joel Dunning and his sister.
He granted a temporary order last month after the 72-year-old woman from Bella Vista accused her brother of hitting her April 16, according to the woman's request for the order of protection.
The woman accused Dunning of stalking her. She claims there had been multiple instances where Dunning showed up unannounced at her home.
Dunning denied his sister's accusations.
He said he went to his sister's home to bring some stuff there because she's taking care of their father. He said he hadn't seen her in about 12 years.
"She got mad and yelled at me. Nothing to it," Dunning said earlier this month. "I don't know why she did the protection order."
He wasn't arrested in connection with the case.
Schrantz on Thursday ordered the brother and sister not to have physical contact, telephone contact, or computer or email contact. The judge also ordered them not to have any contact through another person.
The no-contact order is effective until May 18, 2025, according to court documents.
Dunning said Monday he had no problem with the outcome of the case.
Leslee Wright, spokeswoman for the School District, called it a "personal situation" and said the district had nothing to add when asked about the order of protection earlier this month.
Dunning, 63, of Bentonville was elected to the School Board in November in his first bid for a political office. He received about 53% of the vote against Erron Smith in the election for the board's Zone 1 seat.