Former Arkansas deputy admits to felony

Ex-lawman illegally accessed data center: Gets probation

Robert Michael Hendrix
Robert Michael Hendrix

BENTONVILLE -- Robert Michael Hendrix, a former Benton County sheriff's deputy and former Springdale police officer, has admitted to accessing the Arkansas Crime Information Center for personal use.

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Hendrix, 43, of Centerton pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of releasing or disclosing information to an unauthorized person and to a misdemeanor tampering charge. He was arrested June 6.

Hendrix was fired from the Benton County sheriff's office, according to court documents.

The Arkansas Crime Information Center provided the sheriff's office with a spreadsheet showing Hendrix had used his law enforcement account 246 times to access personal information after he was fired, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Hendrix runs a company, One Twin Legal Services, which offers process serving and private investigations, according to court documents. Sheriff's detectives learned Hendrix was charging $100 to check a person's background through a service called Justice Exchange, according to the affidavit.

Justice Exchange is a law enforcement database linked with the state crime center and the National Crime Information Center, according to court documents.

Fayetteville police notified the sheriff's office that Hendrix was using a sheriff's office Justice Exchange account and sheriff's office email address to gain access to the databases, according to the affidavit.

Hendrix's account remained active and his email account was not deactivated after he left the sheriff's office, according to court documents. He admitted to using a computer and his cellphone to access Justice Exchange, the documents said.

The tampering charge involves Hendrix telling a witness to withhold information during the investigation, according to court documents.

Circuit Judge Brad Karren accepted the plea agreement and Hendrix's guilty plea. He was placed on six years of state supervised probation under Act 346, the First Offender Act of 1975, which means his conviction can be expunged if he completes his probation.

Hendrix must also perform 120 hours of community service within the next three years.

State Desk on 05/27/2017

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