FORT SMITH -- Accessibility and visibility are high priorities for the three men competing to become Franklin County's next sheriff.
Kevin Hutchison, Johnny Crocker and Grant Nicely are running for the seat in the Republican primary election May 24.
Whoever wins the race will win the position due to a lack of Democratic candidates who filed to run, according to the Franklin County Clerk's Office.
The Quorum Court voted Sept. 9 to appoint Rickey Denton to serve the remainder of former sheriff Anthony Boen's four-year term, which expires Dec. 31, according to the county judge's office. This appointment prevents Denton from running for re-election.
A jury in the U.S. District Court convicted Boen, 51, of two federal counts of deprivation of rights Aug. 9. These originated in 2018 from two use-of-force incidents against detainees resulting in bodily injury. Boen was indicted on three counts in November 2019.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks sentenced Boen to four years in prison followed by two years of supervised release March 10. He also imposed a $4,800 fine and a $200 special assessment. Boen filed a notice of appeal in the U.S. District Court against his sentence and conviction March 31, according to court records. The case was docketed in the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals April 4.
Hutchison, a retiree from the Arkansas Army National Guard, said he has almost 18 years of experience in law enforcement. This includes more than six years in Fort Smith's Police Department, a variety of positions in the Sheriff's Office from 2009 to either 2019 or early 2020, and about a year in the Johnson County Sheriff's Office.
Hutchison said many residents he's talked to want to be able to respect the Sheriff's Office and actually see deputies out in the community doing their job. He explained Franklin County has two county seats, Ozark to the north of the Arkansas River and Charleston to the south. He wants to ensure the Sheriff's Office has enough deputies to sufficiently patrol both areas.
"I want to make absolutely sure that I have a south county officer that's there all the time, that will be seen in the south part of the county, because you go to the south part of the county and everybody says, 'Well, we're just the step-child of Franklin County because we're ignored most of the time,'" Hutchison said.
Crocker said he started working at the Ozark Police Department about a year and a half ago, becoming a part-time patrolman and member of its SWAT Team. He served in the Army from 1996 to 2018, which included 20 years as a Green Beret in the 3rd Special Forces Group and training law enforcement both foreign and domestic.
Crocker said he believes the sheriff needs to get out and interact with residents in the community and always have an open door policy. He also spoke of the importance of the sheriff leading by example, working with other law enforcement agencies in the county and ensuring regular training for deputies in multiple fields.
Nicely has been a patrol sergeant in the Franklin County Sheriff's Office since January, having previously worked in the department from October 2012 to December 2013. His law enforcement career, which began 1996, includes the Barling and Ozark police departments. Nicely is an active member of the Arkansas Army National Guard, serving as military police.
Nicely said he believes access to the sheriff is a major desire for county residents. He plans to help facilitate this by working a minimum of about 50-60 hours per week, rather than 40. This would not be limited to the Sheriff's Office itself, but include public settings throughout the county, such as city council meetings and school functions, to give residents the opportunity to ask him questions or voice concerns.
Hutchison said he also wants to address ongoing issues of drugs and thefts as sheriff. He argued these go hand-in-hand, with many repeat offenders stealing things to pawn off to acquire the money to get drugs. Hutchison hopes to try to work with the county court system to get these people charged with habitual or harsher offenses that will result in longer jail sentences to act as a deterrent for such criminal activity.
Hutchison said he believes his knowledge of the workings of the Sheriff's Office as a law enforcement agency, as well as the operator of the county jail and a part of the court system, make him the best candidate. He also pointed to the knowledge he's received by being from Franklin County and Ozark.
Crocker said one of his goals as sheriff would be to establish a task force to deal with the prevalence of drugs in the county, such as methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin. He also hopes to establish programs through the Sheriff's Office to mentor youth in an effort to dissuade them from taking drugs, something in which he has experience as the co-owner of Ozark Family Fitness in Ozark.
"Currently, I run a martial arts program here and have about 30 kids that train with me here," Crocker said. "I would like to expand that program throughout the whole county, not just martial arts, but kayaking, hiking, just get kids to see what right looks like to keep them from doing drugs at an early age."
Crocker said he would like to implement other programs in the Sheriff's Office to allow it to become financially independent and submit applications for grants to help lessen the burden faced by county taxpayers.
Crocker believes the time he served in leadership positions in the Army, a tenure that ended with him retiring as a sergeant major, would provide him the experience necessary to serve as sheriff.
Nicely said another of his priorities should he be elected would be to make sure all Sheriff's Office employees get the proper level of training to do their job.
"There's just a multitude of different classes that they can go to, and sometimes, especially in a small department, it's hard to get them there because if one person leaves for training, then it leaves you short-staffed elsewhere," Nicely said.
Nicely described the Franklin County Sheriff's Office as small compared to other departments, such as its counterparts in Sebastian, Crawford and Johnson counties.
Nicely said his 26 years of law enforcement experience and the fact he is still working in law enforcement are the two most significant attributes in his favor as a candidate. He argued being a current member of law enforcement has helped him keep track of any state legislation passed impacting the field. In addition, his past experience would allow him to help carry out additional responsibilities as needed.
Early voting for the Republican primary election starts May 9, according to the Arkansas Secretary of State website.
The sheriff's position comes with an an annual salary of $44,589, according to the county.
Kevin Hutchison (R)
Age: 46.
Residency: Ozark; lived in Franklin County since birth except from 1997 to 2009.
Occupation: Retired from Arkansas Army National Guard and law enforcement.
Education: Ozark High School.
Political Experience: None.
Johnny Crocker (R)
Age: 47.
Residency: South of Ozark; born and raised in Franklin County; moved back in 2018 following retirement from U.S. Army.
Occupation: Part-time patrolman and SWAT Team member, Ozark Police Department; cattleman; retired from the U.S. Army.
Education: Ozark High School. Attended Arkansas Tech University.
Political Experience: None.
Grant Nicely (R)
Age: 47.
Residency: Ozark. Lived in Franklin County since 2013.
Occupation: Patrol sergeant, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office; active military police member, Arkansas Army National Guard.
Education: Bachelor’s of arts, University of Arkansas-Fort Smith; pursuing master’s of arts through American Military University.
Political Experience: None.