By JOEL PHELPS | The Arkadelphian
A Clark County drug agent is being demoted after finding himself in hot water over a sketchy car wreck.
Effective Friday, June 23, Roy Bethell will no longer be an agent with the Group 6 Narcotics Drug Task Force. Bethell, 50, will instead be assigned to security duties with Clark County’s detention facility/court complex. The demotion comes with a salary decrease of nearly $6,000 per year.
He was notified of this demotion a week ago. Bethell was put in the hot seat after an apparent booze-filled jaunt one Friday night in April, when he took his agency-issued SUV to a collegiate baseball game in Fayetteville. A police report indicates that Bethell crashed the SUV into a tree while negotiating a curve on a dirt road, then drove 1.5 miles before abandoning the vehicle near a federal highway.
After discovering the SUV around midnight, police eventually caught up with Bethell the next day outside his hotel, where he reportedly reeked of “stale” alcohol and had “very bloodshot eyes,” according to the Washington County incident report.
Bethell was initially placed on a five-day suspension immediately upon his return to Clark County.
“I know this incident has garnered much attention and everyone has opinions on how it should be handled and how quickly it’s done.”
— Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson
Authorities in Washington County this week mailed Bethell a citation for the misdemeanor charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage only.
“The final decision was made after an internal investigation was completed,” Sheriff Jason Watson said in a text message Thursday. “There was also a decrease in pay of $5,900.” Watson added that he arrived at his decision after reviewing “all information made available” to him. Asked if he felt his decision was fair, he replied that it was.
Bethell’s charge is a Class C misdemeanor, the lowest classification of violations, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and/or a fine of up to $500. Bethell will have the option of paying the fine by mail or online although the citation lists a court appearance of July 13 in Washington County District Court.
As for the towing bills — $1,400 from a NWA wrecking service in addition to any outstanding invoices from Beene’s Towing & Recovery — the sheriff said that, once the insurance claim is complete, “any money paid out by Clark County will be compensated.”
Asked if the incident would affect personnel policies at the sheriff’s office, Watson said he didn’t expect changes within his agency; “however, I will be visiting with other Group 6 board members to review policy procedures.”
Who owns the SUV?
Sheriff’s deputies were at first confused because the license plate on Bethell’s vehicle returned Tanner’s Truck & Equipment of Malvern. The actual owner was identified during the first hours of the initial investigation when the unlocked vehicle yielded police weapons and Bethell’s credentials, leading to Group 6.
Contacted last week with questions regarding who owned the vehicle, a representative at Tanner’s said that the company at one time owned the vehicle and sold it to the task force. Vehicle registration apparently had not been changed to reflect Group 6 ownership.
About that protection order
Washington County deputies were led to the vehicle when a woman called the sheriff’s office to inquire how to file a protection order. According to West Fork Officer Brandon Williamson, the first policeman on the scene, Bethell’s police vehicle matched the description of another suspect vehicle. “The original caller thought the vehicle belonged to someone she wanted a protection order against,” Williamson told The Arkadelphian this week in a telephone interview.
Bethell vying for top spot at Caddo Valley
Bethell is one of six applicants for an open position as police chief in Caddo Valley, according to information The Arkadelphian obtained under a Freedom of Information Act request to that city’s administrative office.
Bethell worked as a patrolman with that department for five years prior to joining the Group 6 Task Force in 2018. His resume also includes a 17-year stint at the Arkadelphia Police Department, where he worked his way up the ranks from patrolman to a sergeant in the department’s criminal investigation division.
Sheriff: “Every incident isn’t the same”
The “Hog Wild” saga attracted countless social media comments, many of them targeting the integrity of local law enforcement agencies. Many questioned how Bethell had not yet been terminated from the high ranks of a DTF agent.
Watson defended his ultimate decision: “I know this incident has garnered much attention and everyone has opinions on how it should be handled and how quickly it’s done. However, every incident isn’t the same and this involved another agency and jurisdiction. I took all information and once everything was completed I made my decision and am ready to move forward with our duties.”
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