Jay Winters, who spent 19 years as sheriff of Pope County before taking the helm as director of the Arkansas Crime Information Center, died Tuesday. He was 67.
No cause of death was available, and messages left for a family member were not returned.
Winters was one of only three agency directors from former Gov. Mike Beebe's tenure that Gov. Asa Hutchinson asked to stay on in his administration.
"Jay Winters served his community and state with dedication and professionalism," Hutchinson said in a statement Thursday. "I was privileged to have Jay serve in my administration as director of the Arkansas Crime Information Center. I knew Jay as a law enforcement professional and also as a man who loved his family and community. He will be greatly missed."
Winters led the center since 2012 until he resigned in 2017 for health reasons.
"I want to thank Jay -- a man of great integrity and character -- for the incredible work he has done at ACIC through the years," Hutchinson said in a statement.
Brad Cazort, the current director of the Arkansas Crime Information Center, said Winters was his immediate supervisor who joked a lot and was a "great person to be around."
"Not only was he my supervisor, but I considered him my friend," Cazort said. "He worked hard to make sure that his staff had everything they needed to do their job and just let them do it."
Winters was the longest-serving sheriff in Pope County's history.
"I wouldn't be where I'm at today if it weren't for Sheriff Winters," Shane Jones, the current Pope County sheriff, said in a telephone interview.
Jones, who was hired into the department by Winters in 1996, said Winters pulled him aside one day and said, "I think you need to run for sheriff."
"It struck me. I was shocked. He was my mentor and he wanted me to take a position he once held," Jones said. "I told him, 'I could never fill your shoes.' He said, 'Shane, my feet aren't that big.'"
Winters was always caring and loved to hear a good joke, Jones said.
"He made working at the department fun," he said. "He was always joking and playing pranks on everyone."
When Jones' sister passed away in 2007, Winters, who was out of state at the time, took the time to call Jones to offer his condolences and ask if he could help in any way.
During Winters' career as the Pope County sheriff, he was taken hostage for six hours in 2000 by inmate Vann Tucker who tried to break out of the jail. Tucker pleaded guilty in 2001 to killing his 71-year-old neighbor, Frederick Kain, and was serving his sentence at the Varner unit in 2013 when he died trying to escape.
Russellville Mayor Richard Harris said Winters is an iconic figure for law enforcement of Pope County.
"The legacy that Jay leaves behind will impact law enforcement in our community for generations," Harris said. "It is with sadness that we consider his passing and pray for his family during this period of grieving."
Ben Cross, county judge of Pope County, said in an email that he met Winters 37 years ago when Winters, as well as other law enforcement officers, worked side jobs in construction.
"I learned real quickly that police officers could not survive on police officer pay. Therefore, nearly every police officer in the county had to have a side job, and for most, that was in the construction trade," Cross said.
Winters and the other men "instilled in me a desire to serve in law enforcement as a career, even in spite of the low pay," Cross said.
"From that early interaction with a young, 30-year-old Jay Winters, did I come to respect and emulate what a professional police officer should be," Cross said. "After a 30-year law enforcement career myself, in which I was able to work alongside Jay through his service as a Pope County deputy, jail administrator, sheriff, [Arkansas Department of Emergency Management] deputy director, and finally as ACIC director, did I realize what a profound impact his guidance had provided on me."
According to his obituary, Winters was born on Feb. 16, 1954, in Chicago. He was a 1972 graduate of Dover High School. He served in the U.S. Army from 1972-75, during the Vietnam War era.
Winters was married to Sheena Winters and had a daughter and a son, as well as six grandchildren.
He was the uncle of Yell County sheriff's Lt. Kevin Mainhart, who was shot to death in 2017 during a traffic stop west of Dardanelle.
Winters taught Sunday School and was a deacon at Russellville First Assembly of God Church where he was a longtime member.
After returning from military service, Winters began his law enforcement career at the Russellville Police Department before moving to the Pope County sheriff's office. He was a past president of the Arkansas Sheriffs' Association.
"Jay was a great public servant at heart. He was a man strong in his faith, someone that showed his character by his actions and how he treated others," said Mark Tripp, a Russellville City Council member. "Always kind and respectful, he served our community with dignity and passion. Like so many others, I am blessed to have called Jay a friend and worked alongside him on several community projects. He will be missed, and our heart breaks for Sheena and his family."