A lamentable situation

The news of the day often delivers stories that sadden us.

The latest example for me came last weekend when Benton County Judge Bob Clinard, a man I've known and liked since well before he became the county's elected administrator, was hospitalized for heart irregularities and charged with public intoxication during the annual Frisco Festival in Rogers.

The Benton County sheriff's office said two people told deputies at the scene they were concerned about a man who was "very drunk, and falling down" staggering along Cherry Street, according to a news account by reporter Tom Sissom.

Others reported witnessing the same scenario, Sheriff Kelley Cradduck told me. Another couple said they'd seen the man with his car keys out along Cherry.

The man turned out to be Clinard, who, when officers approached, was leaning against a car attempting to use a cell phone to contact his wife. They also reported that a powerful odor of alcohol enveloped him.

Joined by a Rogers policeman, the officers escorted the judge to their patrol cars while one videotaped the ensuing walk to show Clinard's condition.

Clinard said he needed medical attention, which deputies, who I'm told weren't carrying portable breathalyzers, immediately summoned. As they waited, said the news story, a deputy braced a seated Clinard with his knee to keep the judge resting upright. An officer said Clinard told him: "My wife is going to kill me."

An ambulance carried Clinard to the Northwest Medical Center-Bentonville where he was admitted for an accelerated heartbeat. "They're running tests on my heart," he's quoted saying. "I had about double heart rate when I was at Frisco Festival. I know people are going to sensationalize the public-intox aspect of it. The same symptoms will apply. I think the real story will come out."

A day later, with Clinard still hospitalized, doctors said scarring on his heart indicated Clinard likely had suffered a "silent" heart attack at some point in the past, while also noting his accelerated heart rate and an enlarged heart.

Cradduck said he told his deputies to first care for Clinard's health before anything else, including arrest. In fact, the public intoxication charge wasn't served until after Clinard had been treated at the hospital, which strikes me as the most humane way to have handled such a sticky political mess.

"I also told officers at the scene to handle this the same way they would any other case," said Cradduck. "It's troubled me a lot because I believe Clinard has been an excellent county judge, maybe the best ever. But I also wouldn't treat him any differently than any citizen. Our responsibility is to objectively enforce the law. Many people saw the condition Judge Clinard was in on the streets that evening, and they were concerned about him."

The county vehicle Clinard had been driving was taken to the sheriff's office for safekeeping.

That's pretty much been the relevant official version thus far.

My view: Bob Clinard was a prominent member of the construction community when I met him in 2004. He's always been a straightforward man in his personal and professional dealings that I could tell. I liked Bob because, well, he's a reasonable, congenial fella in most ways, although he does have a stubborn streak. When he ran for county judge, I believed his background and management abilities made him an ideal candidate.

That's why this development has left me (and I suspect many others) feeling sad for him and his wife.

Cradduck told me he's been distressed by Clinard's situation since deputies called that evening. "It's really bothered me because I like and appreciate Bob and the job he's done."

The sheriff said he advised Clinard months ago during a conversation that he hoped this sort of circumstance would never unfold, but if it should, Cradduck would feel compelled to enforce the law objectively as the county sheriff. "That was simply a concerned warning to a man I like and respect, nothing more. So when this happened I instructed my officers to do just what I'd said before and treat him as they would any citizen."

Count me among those who believe Cradduck acted in the way a sheriff should: Enforce the law equally for everyone.

I don't know whether the judge's behavior was caused by intoxication, heart dysfunction, or some combination. This newspaper carried a partial video of the incident on its Web version that shows he certainly was having difficulty walking and balancing. Assuming his blood alcohol level was measured during hospital care, I assume those records will be subpoenaed at some point to resolve that question. He already knows the answer.

Either way, I see Bob Clinard now faces serious decisions. For instance, does he choose to fight this misdemeanor citation and claim he wasn't publicly intoxicated, but rather suffering a heart problem? That could turn into one ugly hearing.

If he is having those kind of debilitating heart problems, does he resign from public service to help restore his health?

If any form of treatment is needed, that's the choice I, as one impressed with his abilities as the county's administrator, hope Clinard will make.

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Mike Masterson's column appears regularly in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at mikemasterson@arkansasonline.com. Read his blog at mikemastersonsmessenger.com.

Editorial on 08/30/2014

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