Police: 2 Arkansas officials arrested after using power to avoid paying water bills

Police say John H. Huff (left) and Christopher Franklin (right) used their positions to avoid paying monthly water bills.
Police say John H. Huff (left) and Christopher Franklin (right) used their positions to avoid paying monthly water bills.

Two Helena-West Helena city council members were arrested Friday after they used their positions to avoid paying monthly water bills, police say.

John H. Huff Jr. and Christopher Franklin are charged with abuse of office and prohibited actions by municipal officials, according to a news release from the Helena-West Helena Police Department.

Chief Virgil Green said that police began investigating in 2016 after receiving information that the two officials had not been paying their water bills.

According to the release, Franklin and Huff “demanded and received special treatment from the West Helena Water Utility” and faced no consequences when they failed to pay their utility bills.

Green said records showed Huff and Franklin wrote bad checks for water services and skipped several months’ worth of payments. Despite that, their water was not turned off. By that point, Green said, an average citizen’s water would have been shut off and the meter removed.

The investigation showed “a clear intent on their part” to avoid paying utilities, the chief said. The water bills were about $70 per month.

Huff and Franklin surrendered when warrants were issued for their arrests, the release said.

Police said that Huff is currently on probation due to a previous misdemeanor conviction and that the water bill incident could violate his probation.

If the men are convicted of prohibited actions by a municipal official, they would be removed from their council positions and unable to hold another elected position, the release said.

A March 7 court appearance has been scheduled.

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