The director of the Arkansas Department of Correction will retire, effective Nov. 1, he announced to staff Friday.
Ray Hobbs, 62, has been at the department nearly 40 years. He started as a corrections officer in 1975 before becoming a warden, deputy director and chief deputy director of the agency, among other jobs.
"I have expressed my appreciation to Governor [Mike] Beebe for the opportunity to serve as Director of the Arkansas Department of Correction," Hobbs wrote in his retirement announcement. "I am expressing my appreciation for the wisdom shared with me by the Board of Corrections during good times and during difficult times."
The Arkansas Board of Corrections next meets at the end of October, but Correction Department spokesman Shea Wilson said it will address appointing another director before then.
The board may appoint an interim director or fill the position permanently, she said. Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said the governor's office will be involved in appointing a new leader for the agency.
Hobbs makes $147,542.10 as department director.
His announcement came a day after Arkansas State Police recaptured convicted murderer Timothy Buffington, a trusty who escaped from the department's Pine Bluff unit in late June. Buffington surrendered west of Booneville in Logan County, where he was convicted in 1998 of killing his ex-wife Rhonda Combs. He was taken later Thursday to the Varner Supermax in Lincoln County.
"He's very happy to be going out on a high note with apprehending Timothy Buffington," Wilson said of Hobbs.
The department has been working to get construction of a new prison approved by the state Legislature to address a backlog in prisoners waiting for beds. Across the state, prisoners sentenced to the Department of Correction are squeezing into already crowded county jails, largely as the result of tighter new parole policies adopted by state officials.
Wilson said Hobbs has been in an emergency-response position throughout his career, "so he's going to be enjoying his retirement," she said.
DeCample said turnover is expected with a change in administration; Beebe is set to leave office at the end of the year.
"He said this was purely a personal decision," Wilson said of Hobbs. "It doesn't have anything to do with the upcoming election. He's at an age where he can retire."
Metro on 09/20/2014