Good afternoon! I'm posting a day early this week. I hope everyone enjoyed a good Christmas with loved ones. Maybe you are still enjoying the holiday season.
Remember, the National Safety checkpoints will continue through January 1, 2025. This past weekend, we had some success in getting impaired drivers off our roadways. We detained three drivers who were driving under the influence. This not only helps prevent accidents but potentially saves lives as well. I cannot stress strongly enough that if you are drinking, you do not need to drive. If you can, appoint a designated driver, or arrange to have someone pick you up or stay put.
Last Wednesday, we had our monthly Circuit Criminal Court and were able to get a few cases handled off our docket. Numerous defendants were offered plea deals to help alleviate the strain on our court system and a few took pleas. They are:
Rousseau, Robert pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance x2 and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was sentenced to 6 years SIS plus costs and fees.
Oakley, Xavier pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was sentenced to 1 year SIS and 5 years of Probation plus costs and fees.
Jones, Keith pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance and was sentenced to 5 years of Probation plus costs and fees.
Matlock, Gary pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance; Possession with Intent, and Theft and was sentenced to 6 years of Probation, Restitution plus costs and fees.
Ray, James pled guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Certain Person and was sentenced to 5 years of Probation plus costs and fees.
Warnack, Matthew pled guilty to Possession of a Controlled Substance and was sentenced to 5 years of Probation plus costs and fees.
I held a Christmas party for my employees last Friday night and a good time was had by all. My staff works extremely hard, often under extreme circumstances and I wanted to show my appreciation to them for their hard work over the past year. It was nice to be able to get together off the job and have some fun together. During the party, I was honored to present a few awards to some often overlooked or underappreciated employees of Dallas County. Dispatchers Jacob Deffenbaugh and Jean Lexington were the two dispatchers on duty during the mass shooting at the Mad Butcher this past June. They were the first in the chain to get word of the events taking place. They both maintained cool heads and exhibited a level of professionalism that still has me impressed. They handled over 40 calls within minutes and calmly and clearly contacted and directed first responders to the scene. It is clear that these two dispatchers' actions saved lives and they are heroes in every description of the word. Oh, and if you didn't know, they were both the newest dispatchers we had at that time. In fact, Jean hadn't even been on the job a month and Jacob hadn't been here much longer. That is the kind of coworkers that you want on your side. I cannot say enough about these two operators who we entrust our lives to every day. The other two employees that I recognized last Friday were Sgt. Jordan Ables and Deputy Bill Rogers. They were two of the hardest workers on scene that day. They both had different challenges because of events going on and both handled themselves with the utmost professionalism that I have come to expect from them. They would never seek praise or expect any extra thanks, but they are heroes and deserving of special recognition from me. Most everyone who assisted in the tragedy that occurred here in our community has been recognized already, this was just my opportunity to remind a few of our law enforcement family that I had not forgotten their contributions.
Now, it's on to Felony Friday:
Lash, Justin of Fordyce, Failure to Appear and Contempt
Garrido, Jose of Arkansas, Driving While Intoxicated
Green, Frederic of Arkansas, Driving While Intoxicated, Open Container and Refusal to Submit
Hassel, Andrea of Arkansas, Driving While Intoxicated; Driving While License Suspended; No Seatbelt; Open Container
Payne, Tonya of Warren, FPD Theft of Property
Johnson, Ruffell, of Fordyce, FPD Aggravated Assault, Criminal Mischief, Public Intoxication
Barner, Joshawah, of Fordyce, FPD Failure to Appear
I hope you have a safe and Happy New Year's Day. Don't forget to eat those black-eyed peas, hog jowl and cabbage!!
Stay Safe and God Bless You
Sheriff Mike Knoedl
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