Jackson County
Jackson County, with approximately 18,000 residents, is in the northeastern part of Arkansas, containing about 637 square miles. Since 1892, Newport has been the county seat. Jackson County was formed in 1829 and named after U.S. President Andrew Jackson. Jackson County is located in the rich delta where agriculture is the leading industry, with rice and soybeans being the most widely grown crops. Jackson County farmers also raise corn, milo, beef cattle and catfish. Fishermen catch catfish in the Black River, which forms the county’s northwestern boundary, and trout in the White River, also in western Jackson County. Hunting is popular in the Wildlife Management Area which reaches into four counties including Jackson County. It is home to two school districts, the Newport Special School District and the Jackson County School District. The county is also home to the fast growing Arkansas State University – Newport. In January 1998, the state opened two prisons in Newport: the Scott Grimes Correctional Facility, for males, and the Ronald McPherson Correctional Facility, for women.
Major highways in Jackson County are U.S. Highway 67, Arkansas Highway 37, and Arkansas Highway 367, known as the “Rock and Roll” Highway.
Jackson County hosts one of the top 100 festivals in the nation, known as the Portfest Rollin’ on the River Festival. Portfest is held the first full weekend in June each year and is held on the banks of the White River at beautiful Jacksonport State Park. Portfest welcomes approximately 12,000 people during the two-day event. The Jacksonport State Park is located in Jacksonport, three miles north of Newport on Highway 69. In the 1800s, steamboats made Jacksonport a thriving river port. During the Civil War, the town was occupied by both Confederate and Union forces because of its crucial locale. Today, exhibits in the park’s 1872 courthouse and programs by park interpreters share the story of this historic river port.
History of the Sheriff's Office
The history of the sheriff is a chronicle of Western Civilization, a biography of democracy and a work-picture of man’s quest for equity and self-determination in matters pertaining to his government.
Whenever we scan the documents of British and American history, we find the Office of the Sheriff entrusted with the maintenance of law and order and the preservation of domestic tranquility. Some historians date the Office of the Sheriff to ancient Roman times. Others express the belief that the Office had its beginnings prior to the writing of the Magna Carta in 1215, in England. Of the sixty-three articles in the Magna Carta, twenty-seven articles refer directly or indirectly to the Office of the Sheriff.
Historians agree that the Office of the Sheriff is one of the most familiar and useful to be found in the history of English Institutions. The functions and powers of the Office have undergone changes but for over seven centuries it has maintained a continuous existence and preserved features.
The Office of the Sheriff is the oldest law enforcement office known within the common law system. The Office of the Sheriff is the only elected law enforcement office in the county. Today, with some variations from state to state, the duties of the Office of the Sheriff have remained consistent.
The sale of property has been the responsibility of the Office of the Sheriff for over seven hundred years. The authority over bailiffs, constables, wardens, and the jail are a continuing responsibility along with court safety and the service of warrants. Today’s Office of the Sheriff continues the responsibilities of the past and had expanded its duties to adapt to a modern world. Examples of these expanded duties include drug prevention, prisoner transportation, crime prevention, victim assistance, search and rescue, identification and communications.
Past Sheriffs of Jackson County
Isaac Gray, 1830-35
James Robinson, 1835-38
Isaac Gray, 1838-42
J. Robinson, 1842-44
J. H. T. Webb, 1844-46
J. J. Waddle, 1846-50
G. Silvey, 1850-54
R. Hudson, 1854-56
A. H. Logan, 1856-62
J. R. Jelks, 1862-64
L. R. Clay, 1864-66
John R. Loftin, 1866-1868
R. Kinman, 1868-1872
J. S. Smith, 1872-1874 Sheriff Smith died while in Office in 1873
H. N. Faulkinbury, 1873-1874
J. R. Loftin, 1874-1882
T. S. Stephens, 1882-1892
J. M. Hobgood, 1892-1896 Sheriff Hobgood died while in office in 1896
J. J. Walker, 1896- 1900
R. W. Bandy, 1900-1904
H. S. Simmons, 1904-1908
J. D. Neal, 1908-1912
J. F. McCuistion, 1912-1916
J. M. Ivy, 1916-1921
G. R. Hays, 1921-1926
D. J. Nance, 1927-1930
Gray Albright, 1931-1934
Lee Reid, 1935-1936 Sheriff Lee Reid was removed from office and Edwin McCall was appointed 9/11/1936
Lee Reid, 1937-1938 Failed to qualify, W. P. Davis was appointed 1/19/1937 and Edwin McCall was elected 10/19/1937
Edwin McCall, 1939-1940
D. J. Nance, 1941-1944
J. F. Mason, 1945-1952 Died in Office 12/5/1951 and Claude Foushee appointed
J. B. (Jake) Winningham, 1953-1956
Ernest C. Dyke, 1957-1960
L. Woodman, 1961-64
Ralph Henderson, 1965-78
Donald Ray, 1979-1994
Jim Bishop, 1995-2004
David Lucas, 2005- Present
Jackson County Officers Killed in the Line of Duty
Joe Wesley Allmon – November 1923
Deputy Joe Wesley “Wes” Allmon age 35 was shot and killed in the line of duty at 9:30 A.M. on the morning of November 27, 1923. Deputy Allmon was working in the Shoffner community when he spotted a black male by the name of Sam Cole, age 25, walking along the railroad tracks. Having a warrant for the arrest of Cole, charging him with gambling, Deputy Allmon walked towards Cole to place him under arrest. As Deputy Allmon ordered Cole to remove his hands from his pockets, Cole pulled a pistol and shot Deputy Allmon twice, once in the center of his chest and once just below the throat killing him instantly. Deputy Allmon had been a Jackson County Deputy for approximately one year and was married and had four children.
Historical Event in Jackson County Law Enforcement
The Olyphant Train Robbery
During an era of dangerous train robberies, one of the most dramatic occurred in Jackson County at Olyphant on November 3, 1893.
The Iron Mountain’s southbound passenger train No. 51 pulled to the side at 10:00 P.M. to allow a northbound train to pass. Seven masked riders brutally robbed the passengers. Over 200 gunshots were fired at the doors and windows of the coaches. The conductor, W. P. McNally was killed.
By midnight all surrounding counties had been alerted to be on the lookout for the outlaws. In less than two hours, James Hobgood, Sheriff of Jackson County, and Sheriff Marshell Patterson of Woodruff County were in close pursuit with posse and bloodhounds.
The next day, Deputy Sheriff Oscar Pennington of Independence County captured Tom Brady and George Paggett at Jamestown, a community northeast of Batesville. From their persons a part of the loot was recovered, with a map showing roads leading into the Indian Territory.
After their apprehension, Paggett, an ex-policeman from Little Rock, collaborated freely with authorities, bringing a speedy capture of all other outlaws. On December 6, Jim Wyrick was apprehended near Van Buren in Crawford County. By Christmas, Sam and Pennyweight Powell, Al Freeman, Bob Chesney, and Jim Hill (alias Albert Mansker) were captured in Craighead County.
On January 4, 1894, Tom Brady, Jim Wyrick, and Albert Mansker were brought to trial in Jackson County Circuit Court by Judge James Butler for the murder of W.P. McNally.
After thirty-three days of intensive arguments by the prosecution and the defense, they were found guilty on Feb. 6, 1894, and sentenced to hang. The jury determined from baggageman Billy Chittum that Jim Wyrick fired the shots that killed McNally.
In conjunction with a previous charge, Pennyweight Powell was given time in the state penitentiary, with sentences running consecutively. Sam Powell, Al Freeman, and Bob Chesney were believed to have been freed through some kind of political maneuver. George Paggett was given his freedom after turning state’s evidence.
On April 6, 1894 Tom Brady, Jim Wyrick, and Albert Mansker met their destiny at the gallows in the only triple execution in Jackson County that was held on the jail yard in a fenced-off area. One of the largest crowds ever seen in Newport gathered for this hanging.
Jackson County Courthouse & Old Sheriff’s Office and County Jail
The F.B. Hull Construction Company and the Pauly Jail Building Company of St. Louis, Missouri built the old Jackson County Jail in 1906 & 1907 at a cost of $22,000.00.
The jail was 44×47 feet, three stories of native stone, with a stone tower; the total height was 64 feet. There were seventeen rooms in all; the first floor was for the Sheriff or Jailer. This floor was used for insane persons and female prisoner, with office and sleeping room for the jailer, and the jail kitchen.
The second floor had eight furnished cells of saw and file proof steel, with space for eight more should they be needed.
The top floor or tower was the execution room, with the latest model steel gallows. The gallows and tower room were removed from the jail in the early 1960s. In 1978 a new county jail was built and the old jail was never used again. In 2005, due to years of nonuse and deterioration the old County Jail was demolished.
***** DISCLAIMER **** DISCLAIMER *****
The information and photos on this Most Wanted Page by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office may be in error due toimproper reporting. PLEASE REPORT ANY ERRORS TO THE JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
INTERNET DISCLAIMER INFORMATION
The County of Jackson, its officers, employees, and agents (“County”) and the web development supplier do not represent nor endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information or advertisements contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained on this website (“Materials”), nor the quality of any products, information, or other materials obtained by the user as a result of any advertisement, offer, or other information contained in or in connection with the Materials (“Products”). Users acknowledge that any reliance upon any materials is at their own risk.
THE SERVICE AND THE MATERIALS PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY AND WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND THE COUNTY AND WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR PRODUCTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COUNTY OR WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE, THE MATERIALS, OR THE PRODUCTS.
This site provides links to information of interest to its users and, as such, there are many links to information that originate at sites not controlled or reviewed by the County or the web development supplier. The County and the web development supplier are not responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of such information. It is the responsibility of the user, or in the case of a minor, the parent/guardian, to restrict access to the Internet, to evaluate the value of any product or service described or offered therein.
***** DISCLAIMER **** DISCLAIMER *****
The addresses posted on this Sex Offender Registry by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office may be in error due to improper reporting by the offenders.
PLEASE REPORT ANY ERRORS TO THE JACKSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
INTERNET DISCLAIMER INFORMATION
The County of Jackson, its officers, employees, and agents (“County”) and the web development supplier do not represent nor endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information or advertisements contained on, distributed through, or linked, downloaded or accessed from any of the services contained on this website (“Materials”), nor the quality of any products, information, or other materials obtained by the user as a result of any advertisement, offer, or other information contained in or in connection with the Materials (“Products”). Users acknowledge that any reliance upon any Materials is at their own risk.
THE SERVICE AND THE MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY AND WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER ON AN “AS IS” BASIS, AND THE COUNTY AND WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR PRODUCTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COUNTY OR WEB DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIER BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE, THE MATERIALS, OR THE PRODUCTS.
This site provides links to information of interest to its users and, as such, there are many links to information that originate at sites not controlled or reviewed by the County or the web development supplier. The County and the web development supplier are not responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of such information. It is the responsibility of the user, or in the case of a minor, the parent/guardian, to restrict access to the Internet, to evaluate the value of any product or service described or offered therein.
The Sex Offender List on our website is not a complete list of offenders required to register with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
COLD CASES
UNSOLVED HOMICIDES
Paul Tinsley
A group of concerned citizens is offering a $25,000 reward, and an additional $5,000 reward is being offered by the Newport Police Department for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of Paul Tinsley. The Newport Police Department and Arkansas State Police are investigating the murder of Mr. Tinsley, which occurred at his business (Tinsley Auto Sales) at 1216 Hwy 367 North in Newport on January 3, 2012. If anyone has any information regarding this homicide, please call the Newport Police Department Information Line at 870-523-INFO (4636).
James Logan Morgan
The Newport Police Department is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the death of James Logan Morgan. The Newport Police Department and Arkansas State Police are investigating the murder of Mr. Morgan, which occurred in his home at 314 Vine Street in Newport on August 19, 2011. If anyone has any information regarding this homicide, please call the Newport Police Department Information Line at 870-523-INFO (4636).
MISSING PERSON
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a Missing Persons investigation in regards to the disappearance of James Wayne McAdams also-known-as Jamie McAdams.
James Wayne McAdams is 22 years-of-age he is 5’9″ tall and 180 pounds he has Brown hair and Brown or Hazel eyes. He also has a distinct tattoo of a red, white, and black five point star on his left forearm.
James Wayne McAdams left from his parents house on December 8, 2008 with an unknown person and has not been seen nor heard from by any family or friends since that date.
If anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of James Wayne McAdams or the identity of the unknown person that picked him up on the night of December 8, 2008, please contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 870-523-5842 or email at dlucas@jacksonsheriff.org or contact your local law enforcement agency.
James Wayne McAdams
aka: Jamie McAdams
Tattoo Left Forearm
MISSING PERSON
Joshua M. Cavilee
On September 19, 2010 Joshua Cavilee was reported missing by his friends while camping near “Lockhart” in Jackson County, Arkansas. Mr. Cavilee’s vehicle and some of his personnal belongings where at the scene.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office is asking, if anyone has any information into the disappearance of Joshua Cavilee to caontact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 870-523-5842 or they may contact Lt. Ricky Morales via email at rmorales@jacksonsheriff.org Anyone with information can remain anonymous.
Additional Information
Email to: jcsocid@suddenlinkmail.com
Public Information
Did you receive a phone call from someone claiming to be the IRS (Internal Revenue Service), a local police department, or lawyer stating they had a warrant for your arrest? The callers are scammers/con-artist, manipulating the caller ID system to make the number appear to come from the local sheriff’s office or jail. These scammers go on to tell potential victims they have an outstanding warrant for an unpaid debt, missed jury duty or some minor infraction and that a fine is due. The caller then convinces people to make the payments by wiring it through Western Union, Pay Pal, MoneyGram, or buying a prepaid credit card and registering it online to make a payment. Scammers exert pressure on the caller to attempt to scare you into paying, such as threatening to have you arrested or to report you to a law enforcement agency. NEVER give out or confirm personal financial information, date of birth, bank account, credit card, or social security numbers unless you know who you are dealing with. Ask the caller for their name, company, street address, and telephone number. Tell the caller that you refuse to discuss any debt until you receive a written “validation notice.” Contact your local law enforcement agencies to confirm the validity of a warrant or fines owed.
Over the past few months, and more recently after news media reports on comments made by the Lieutenant Governor and the Attorney General, my deputies have had several calls and questions asking about my stance on the Second Amendment, Act 746 of 2013, and our right to keep bear arms. When the citizens of Jackson County elected me as your Sheriff I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arkansas.
The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office will not make an arrest for carrying a weapon based solely on that fact. All incidents of this nature will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis and properly investigated. However, citizens should understand and be familiar with Arkansas Statute 5-73-306 which sets forth places that prohibit the possessions of firearms.
Business owners and establishments that do not want or allow firearms must have placed at each entrance to the place a written notice clearly readable at a distance of not less than ten feet (10′) that reads “Carrying a firearm is Prohibited”.
Arkansas Victims’ Rights Card Information Page. As a victim of crime you are entitled to rights, but you must request the rights you want exercised. Laura’s Card is a product of HB 1599 / Act 873 of the 2015 Arkansas General Assembly. Arkansas has excellent victims’ rights. Victims must be notified by law enforcement of their rights. Victims’ must request the victims’ rights they want exercised/implemented. Please spread the word concerning” Laura’s Card”, Arkansas’ Victims’ Rights Card. The following link is the Lauras Card PDF form.
www.acic.org/citizens/Documents/CrVicGuideJuly2010.pdf
www.arkansasag.gov/programs/criminal-justice/crime-victim-reparations/
www.arlegalservices.org/domesticviolence