This post was updated March 12, 2024

A plea agreement was reached Tuesday, March 12, in the case of an Arkadelphia school teacher accused of threatening an ex-spouse with a firearm at the door of her Caddo Valley residence.

Charged with a pair of misdemeanor counts of assault and terroristic threatening, Goza Middle School teacher Samantha McCarroll stood by her defense attorney Clinton DeWitt in a brief court appearance Tuesday before District Court Judge Randy Hill.

Hill accepted a plea agreement from Caddo Valley prosecutor Madeline Bennington. The assault charge was dropped.

McCarroll received 12 months of suspended imposition of sentence for the terroristic threatening charge. She was sentenced to probation, ordered to pay a $1,200 civil penalty, and barred from possessing a firearm during her probation.

The charge will be dismissed upon completion of probation, in February 2025.

While a no-contact order remains in effect between McCarroll and her ex-spouse, the court urged the parties to use counsel to work out future child custody exchanges.

McCarroll remains employed at Arkadelphia Public Schools.

ORIGINAL POST on FEB. 13:
CADDO VALLEY, Arkansas — Police in Clark County arrested an Arkadelphia school teacher, Samantha McCarroll, on misdemeanor charges of terroristic threatening and assault on a family or household member.

Her ex-husband says she pulled a gun on him at her residence on Frost Road.

According to an incident report filed at the Caddo Valley Police Department, Officer James Brown received a call during the early evening hours of Jan. 28 from Christopher McCarroll, of Bismarck. McCarroll explained that, as he was leaving his home for a custody exchange at Ms. McCarroll’s residence, she sent him a threatening text message saying if he showed up to her residence with his new girlfriend Ms. McCarroll would have her gun.

Brown explained to Mr. McCarroll that he would need to file a report in Hot Spring County since he was in Bismarck when he received the text. Asked if he wanted police presence during the custody exchange, Mr. McCarroll declined the offer, adding he “did not think [Ms.] McCarroll would do anything,” the report states.

Fifteen minutes after the initial call, Mr. McCarroll phoned Officer Brown again saying that Ms. McCarroll had pointed a gun at him when he went to the door of her residence. Mr. McCarroll met Officer Brown at a nearby gas station and showed him a video of the encounter. Mr. McCarroll went on to state that Ms. McCarroll “opened the door with the gun in her hand and pointed it at him,” according to the report. He added again that he did not believe Ms. McCarroll would have shot him.

The video Mr. McCarroll provided showed him walk up to the residence and Ms. McCarroll holding a pistol in her right hand as she opened the door with her left hand while holding a jacket, according to the report. The gun was reportedly in the defendant’s right hand, pointing up and resting on the inside door frame. Officer Brown notes in his report that he can hear Mr. McCarroll make a statement to Ms. McCarroll about the threatening text, but the only audible response from Ms. McCarroll is the word “threat.” At that point she lowered her right hand while putting her jacket over her right hand and closed the door, the report states. “From the angle it does look like the end of the barrel passes across the direction toward [Mr. McCarroll,” Brown notes.

Mr. McCarroll, who said he wished to pursue charges, was advised to speak with the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney.

On Feb. 7, Caddo Valley Police Chief Ashley Collier, received an arrest warrant for Ms. McCarroll from the prosecuting attorney, which she served the same day. Ms. McCarroll was arrested at her residence in Caddo Valley without incident. The weapon allegedly used during the Jan. 28 incident was surrendered during the arrest.

Ms. McCarroll is a teacher at Goza Middle School. As of Tuesday, Feb. 13, she was still employed by Arkadelphia Public Schools. Superintendent Nikki Thomas said she was aware of McCarroll’s arrest. Thomas said the incident “was not work-related.” Asked for the school district’s next course of action, Thomas said, “We will continue to monitor the situation.” The situation Thomas referred to was the judicial process.

On the day following Ms. McCarroll’s she entered a plea of not guilty before Clark County District Judge Randy Hill. She was given a trial date of March 12 in Caddo Valley. Public defender Clint Mathis was appointed as her representation.

Ms. McCarroll declined to offer a comment to arkadelphian.com given the pending trial. Mathis, too, declined comment as he had only been appointed in the past 24 hours and had not yet reviewed the case.

Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the charges against Ms. McCarroll do not disqualify her for licensure or employment in Arkansas public schools.