In December, a bus returning a youth football team to Memphis crashed near Benton. Special Agent Ryan Jacks of Bauxite, who works for the Arkansas State Police, was the lead investigating officer on the case.
“Ryan is a really personable guy and very good with people,” said Maj. John Blackmon with the Arkansas State Police. “He is really good at making connections, relationships, and we needed that kind of personality on that case.
“We needed a person who not only could empathize with the victims of the accident but could come to an understanding of what happened and what was going on with the driver — because it was hard for her as well.
“We needed someone with [Jacks’] personality who had empathy for other people to work that case, and he did a great job of it.”
As a result of his tactfulness and diligence with the case, Jacks was recently named Saline County Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge.
“I am very humbled and very appreciative [of the award],” Jacks said. “I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I was very honored.”
The bus accident occurred at about 2:40 a.m. at the 111-mile marker where Interstate 30 and U.S. 70 meet. The crash killed a 9-year-old boy and injured several others.
“It was a rough day,” Jacks said. “My lieutenant recommended me for the honor, based on how I interacted with the family, because it was a tragic situation, so it was the compassion that I showed that day.
“I’ve done a lot of big things in law enforcement, but I just felt like this hit home. I coached peewee football for many years, so I put myself in those coaches’ situation, and I kind of felt what they were feeling.
“You don’t expect to be recommended [for an honor like this] because of something like that. It was a rough day — not just for me, but for everyone involved. That momma lost her child, and I was with her when she saw her child at the funeral home for the first time — it was tragic.”
Lt. Stacie Rhoades recommended Jacks for the honor.
“Once the criminal aspect of the accident was taken out of it, Ryan could have left the scene,” Rhoades said. “But Ryan didn’t walk away from it; instead, he stayed and took on some of the responsibilities that weren’t necessarily his.”
Rhoades said she knew Jacks stayed until the mom of the child arrived from Memphis but didn’t know until later that he went with the mother to the coroner’s office.
“That was not part of his job description that particular day, but he stuck around and gave this family some support in a very difficult time,” Rhoades said. “Ryan can deal with people so well; he is so empathetic. He could have left very early on, but he didn’t. He stayed simply because he knew how tough it could be.”
Jacks has been in law enforcement for almost 20 years, all with the Arkansas State Police. He is originally from Bauxite, having graduated from Bauxite High School in 1994. He attended the University of Central Arkansas in Conway for four years but had to drop out of school to support his wife as she finished college. While in school, he majored in sociology, with an emphasis in criminology.
“Community was always big for me where I grew up,” Jacks said. “When I left college, left Conway and moved back home to Bauxite, I had other opportunities to move other places but never did because I love it here.”
He said one of the reasons he got into law enforcement was because of his family.
“At one time, there were nine of us who were police officers,” Jacks said. “Currently, there are five of us. My granddad and my great uncle were officers — they have both passed away, but they both had a long career in law enforcement.”
His great uncle Leroy Meadows was a retired trooper and a former sheriff of Mississippi County for 20 years, and his granddad Grover Meadows was a deputy for the Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office.
“My granddad was always in a uniform, and in my first year of college, I decided that was what I wanted to do — be a state trooper like my uncle,” Jacks said. “This is my passion, my calling. I really don’t know what else I would have done, maybe coach football, but this is something I always wanted to do and had respect for.”
In high school, Jacks played football, basketball and baseball, then went to UCA to play football. He said his family has always been supportive of his career.
“They saw it as a valiant career,” he said. “They always encouraged me and supported me the whole way.”
Last year, Jacks was inducted into the Bauxite High School Sports Hall of Fame, and his son, Brody, a senior at Bauxite, is leading the county in tackles right now. Jacks said he is proud of Brody.
“I think one day we can measure our accolades by our kids and how successful they are,” Jacks said. “If our kids get a good education, good job and raise a nice family — you feel blessed at that point.”
Jacks’ wife, Kristy, teaches first grade for the Bauxite School District and is in her 18th year of teaching. Their daughter, Kady Beth, is in the seventh grade and plays basketball and softball. Kristy graduated from Bauxite in 1997, and her softball team is going to be inducted into the school’s hall of fame this year.
“When I met her dad the first time, he asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him I wanted to be a state trooper,” Jacks said. “He still tells me that when I said that, he believed me. He said I just had a serious look on my face, and no one is going to pick that job unless they really want it.”
Jacks worked as a highway patrolman for 15 years, including 12 years as a K-9 handler. His partner, Havoc, was a Belgian Malinois. Havoc died suddenly in 2015 from complications as a result of gastric dilatation-volvulus, or GDV. Havoc was almost 11 years old and was set to retire.
“She was a family pet, and you get attached to your partner because you depend on them every day,” Jacks said. “She was one of a kind. She was a special dog — like one of my kids.
“It was hard on the whole family when we lost her.”
Blackmon and Jacks’ children both attend school at Bauxite. Blackmon said it is never a dull moment, being around Jacks.
“He is a funny guy and has a million stories,” Blackmon said. “This guy has a story about everything, and he will just have you rolling.
Blackmon said even though he is Jacks’ superior on paper, they are more like partners.
“We work well together,” he said. “I enjoy working with him because we are a lot alike. He is very family-oriented, and most of our lives revolve around our families.”
Jacks said helping people is an extremely big part of why he signed up to be in law enforcement.
“Making a difference in someone’s life, trying to do it in a positive way, is something we try to do,” Jacks said.
Staff writer Sam Pierce can be reached at (501) 244-4314 or spierce@arkansasonline.com.