The Arkansas State Police on Wednesday arrested a McCrory man who, authorities say, got into a fight with the Woodruff County sheriff that left both men needing medical treatment on Tuesday.
Joseph Rudick, 66, was arrested around 2 p.m. Wednesday after state police investigators reviewed the incident. He faces a charge of first-degree battery of a law enforcement officer.
Sheriff Phil Reynolds, 57, was helping put out a combine harvester fire in a beanfield near Three Forks Road around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday when Rudick started a fight with him, a Wednesday news release states. The fire was located about 20 miles directly north of Interstate 40 through Brinkley, or about 35 miles west-northwest of Forrest City.
The sheriff was able to get Rudick into custody before contacting state police for assistance, and both men were taken to a Searcy hospital about 45 miles away for treatment, the release says. The extent of each man’s injuries was not stated.