WALNUT RIDGE — Officials are investigating a 2008 deal in which a Walnut Ridge alderman traded a city-owned helicopter for a small airplane.
The Jonesboro Sun reports that the city bought two military surplus helicopters in 1996 for $10,000 apiece. The helicopters were used to spray for mosquitoes, but the city stopped using them after a dispute with its pilots.
Alderman Michael Wallin says he made the trade with Tony Miles so the city could have an airplane for mosquito spraying. Wallin says the council knew about the deal.
The trade is being questioned now because the city recently sold its second helicopter for $92,000. The city says the plane it received from Miles is worth less than $25,000.
Mayor Don House says he’s contacted Arkansas State Police, state auditors and the FBI.