2 Hot Spring County deputies arrested

Two Hot Spring County deputies were arrested Wednesday after a man who had been at the county jail said that they beat and pepper-sprayed him before leaving him on the side of the highway, a news release from the Saline County sheriff's office stated.

About 11:40 a.m. Wednesday, Saline County deputies responding to a report of a possible assault near 17186 Arkansas 70 met with Jim Graves, who said that two Hot Spring County deputies, later identified as Lt. Darrell Peirce and Cpl. Robert Campbell, had taken him from the Hot Spring County jail to that location.

The jail is about 17 miles south of where Saline County deputies met with Graves.

Deputies noticed that Graves' face was swollen and red. He told them that Peirce and Campbell took him out of the vehicle, pushed him to the ground, and hit him in the face and pepper-sprayed him when he got back up.

Graves told deputies that by the time he was able to see clearly again and stand up, Peirce and Campbell were gone. He was taken to an area hospital for treatment and then released.

Peirce and Campbell met with Saline County detectives about the incident, leading to their arrest. Peirce faces a charge of second-degree assault, and Campbell faces a third-degree battery charge. Both charges are misdemeanors.

A message left with the Hot Spring County sheriff's office Friday seeking comment from Sheriff Scott Finkbeiner or a spokesperson was not returned.

Neither Peirce nor Campbell appeared in the Saline County jail's online inmate record Friday night.

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