Judge acquitted in toddler's hot-car death remains on paid suspension

Judge Wade Naramore (left) thanks a deputy as he leaves the Garland County Courthouse in Hot Springs after Naramore was found innocent in August in the hot-car death of his son.
Judge Wade Naramore (left) thanks a deputy as he leaves the Garland County Courthouse in Hot Springs after Naramore was found innocent in August in the hot-car death of his son.

Garland County Circuit Judge Wade Naramore remains on paid suspension after his acquittal last week on a charge of negligent homicide in his toddler son’s hot-car death.

David J. Sachar, executive director of the state Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission, told the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs that commission rules keep the suspension in place until an investigative panel makes a determination on possible discipline. That is despite statutory language that ends such action after a judge is cleared of criminal charges.

[FULL TRIAL COVERAGE: Click here for stories from all five days of Naramore's trial.]

The investigative panels’ proceedings are confidential and “certainly take several months at the minimum,” Sachar said, noting the time needed to obtain related case documents.

Sachar told the newspaper that the panel could dismiss the complaint against Naramore, reach an agreement or schedule a formal hearing to resolve the complaint.

Acting on a commission recommendation, the state Supreme Court suspended Naramore with pay in February, the month of his arrest in the July 24, 2015, death of his 17-month-old son, Thomas.

At the conclusion of a five-day trial in Garland County Circuit Court, a 12-member jury — six men and six women — found the judge innocent Friday on a misdemeanor charge of negligent homicide.

Naramore hasn't presided in court since Thomas' death last year, and more than 170 assignments for special judges have been issued to handle his cases since September, according to the Sentinel-Record.

Information for this article was contributed by David Showers of the Sentinel-Record in Hot Springs.

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