FAYETTEVILLE — A former Washington County sheriff’s deputy was charged with murder earlier this week after Arkansas State Police determined the initial account of the shooting did not match video evidence.
Stevon Grindstaff, 28, of Fayetteville was charged by a special prosecutor with first-degree murder and aggravated assault Monday following an investigation by the Arkansas State Police. Grindstaff was arrested Monday and released from the Washington County Detention Center on Tuesday on $250,000 bond. He has an April 3 arraignment in Washington County Circuit Court.
Grindstaff, who was a six-year employee of the Sheriff ’s Office, was terminated prior to his arrest, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
About 10:36 p.m. Dec. 3, Grindstaff attempted to stop Scottie Stacy, 57, who was driving a pickup at Blue Springs Road and Beav-O-Rama Road in northeast Washington County. Stacy refused to stop and a pursuit ensued, with Stacy driving through a fence, down a dead-end road and into a field, where he stopped, according to a December news release.
The release said that when Grindstaff got out of the patrol car to approach Stacy, Stacy began rapidly accelerating in reverse toward Grindstaff and the patrol car, striking the patrol car. Grindstaff claimed he fired his weapon in response to Stacy’s actions.
But a probable cause affidavit for Grindstaff’s arrest filed Tuesday says in-car and body camera video provided by the Sheriff’s Office tell a different story. The video shows Grindstaff placing his patrol vehicle’s driver side front bumper at the passenger side back bumper of Stacy’s vehicle as the vehicles come to a stop. Grindstaff then exits his patrol vehicle and walks behind and around Stacy’s vehicle to the the driver’s side.
“At the same time as Deputy Grindstaff is becoming even with Stacy’s driver’s side door, Stacy begins driving the vehicle away from Deputy Grindstaff,” according to the affidavit. “Deputy Grindstaff then discharges his firearm multiple times at the vehicle as it is driving away from him.”
Stacy died at the scene. A passenger in the pickup, identified as Stacie Chicken, was not injured.
Sheriff Jay Cantrell asked the State Police’s Criminal Investigation Division to investigate the shooting.