A U.S. district judge sentenced former Bald Knob Police Chief Erek Lynn Balentine to six months of house arrest Friday after he admitted to trying to personally sell a firearm donated to his Police Department, said U.S. Attorney Chris Givens of Little Rock.
Judge Brian S. Miller also sentenced Balentine, 31, to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $12,968.71 in restitution to Progressive Insurance for payments he received after he conceded that prosecutors could show he was a participant in the burning of his personal truck.
Balentine resigned as police chief of the White County town Oct. 5. He pleaded guilty March 14 to trying to sell a shotgun for $800. The chief cited financial difficulties during his plea hearing as his motivation for trying to sell the gun.
In September, Balentine's 2007 Dodge Ram pickup burned. Authorities determined the fire was set deliberately.
Givens said Balentine did not plead guilty to participating in the fire, but admitted he could have been found guilty if tried.
Balentine, who remained in Bald Knob, will be required to wear a monitor during his six-month house arrest, Givens said. He will be allowed to travel to work and church pending approval from his parole office, the attorney said.
State Desk on 07/23/2016