Weeks before former Marion County Sheriff Roger Vickers died of cancer, he began preparing the person he wanted most to succeed him in the position -- his wife, Joan Vickers.
She had been with him during much of his 42 years in law enforcement as a state trooper in five counties, an assistant troop commander in Harrison and, since 2009, Marion County's chief law enforcement officer. Joan Vickers also had administrative experience at the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce and a background in business.
She's also on the Yellville-Summit School Board.
As his health weakened, he went over the sheriff's duties with his wife -- the budget, law enforcement details, resources, operations at the jail and other information.
"He didn't bring a lot of the job home at first," Joan Vickers said. "But when the prognosis got worse, he started sharing a lot more."
He also made others aware of his desire for his wife to take over for him.
Roger Vickers, 67, died under hospice care in Harrison on July 23.
On Aug. 4, the eight members of the Marion County Quorum Court unanimously appointed Joan Vickers to fill out his term, which runs through Dec. 31, 2016.
"She's done great," said the chief deputy Capt. Bill Hilligoss. "She's hit the ground running."
Within her first week, she oversaw one of the largest drug raids in years in the county. Officers using helicopters found marijuana plants in the northern part of the county and confiscated 1,746 plants, they said.
She followed that with a second drug bust of more than 100 plants a few days later.
"She's been keeping busy all day," Hilligoss said. "I think that's helping her. She's been staying too busy to think too much about losing Roger."
In the 1800s, wives often served out the remainders of their deceased husbands' elected terms as a means of financial survival. Pensions were not available then, and the spouses were paid their husband's salaries.
The appointment of a sheriff's spouse was not uncommon even in more recent years in the state, said Ronnie Baldwin, the executive director of the Arkansas Sheriffs' Association.
In 1945, Thelma McKnight was appointed as Cross County sheriff after her husband, Deloss McKnight, was killed.
Baxter County officials named Pauline Edmonds as the sheriff after her husband, Emmett Edmonds, was shot and killed May 4, 1968, during an inmate's escape from the county jail.
In April 2011, Judy King was chosen to fill out the term of her husband, Cleveland County Sheriff Joe Paul King, when he passed away in March of that year. Two years later, Amie Carpenter became the Scott County sheriff after her husband, Cody Carpenter, died while trying to rescue two women during flooding at Y City on May 31, 2013.
Also, appointing a sheriff's spouse to the job can help future candidates who might want to seek the position full term in the next election.
Under state law, those appointed to complete officeholders' terms cannot seek re-election to those positions, said Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery, who was named the president of the Arkansas Sheriffs' Association's executive board last month.
"Typically, the best person to finish out a term is your chief deputy," Montgomery said. "But then he can't run for the full term. Then, if he runs and loses, the new sheriff won't keep him as his chief deputy. He's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't."
But Montgomery, who has been a friend of the Vickerses for years, said Joan Vickers was a good choice for Marion County.
"She's a strong person," he said. "She has an excellent background in administration, and she has very good resources to help her. She is more than capable of handling it."
Joan Vickers, 52, said taking over her husband's job has helped her deal with his loss.
"I helped decorate his office when he was first elected [in 2009]," she said. "He's still here with me. It makes it easier. The days have gone by fast, and it keeps you busy. It's hard going home, but this has helped me."
When Roger Vickers was elected, he saw the need for a new county jail and made it his mission to build a larger one, but the county has yet to build it. Justices of the peace discussed it but had not taken action on it until last month.
Roger Vickers was too ill to attend the monthly Quorum Court meeting, so he sent his wife in his place.
"The justices were going back and forth about land for the proposed jail," Joan Vickers said. "I asked for permission to speak. I begged them to do the right thing. I said, 'Please let me go home and tell Roger you did this.'"
Justices of the peace agreed to the proposal and are likely to call for a sales-tax election to be held in the spring to pay for the jail. There are plans for either a 64-bed or 92-bed jail. The county currently has a 20-bed lockup.
Joan Vickers said she favors the larger plan.
"Roger pushed for the 92-bed one," she said. "I support that.
"This is his legacy. He wanted it built because he knew we needed it. He asked me to take over when he knew he couldn't do it. He never said, 'You've got to do it,' but he asked me if I wanted to.
"I owe it to him to make him proud of me."
State Desk on 08/23/2015