Arkansas State Police Big Hat Hot Mess - Records they want to hide

We made a Freedom of Information request to the Arkansas State Police ("ASP") for any list maintained by ASP that reflected or listed disciplinary actions that resulted in a suspension for currently employed ASP Troopers.

ASP replied and their Office of Profession Standards ("OPS") maintained such a list and that it had about 80 troopers on that list.

ASP was required to notify those individuals that we had requested that record.

Apparently that record hit a hot spot with some troopers on that list and they objected to it being provided to us.

Colonel Mike Hagar, the Secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and ASP Director requested an opinion from the Arkansas Attorney General regarding the release of this record.

Col. Mike Hagar

The ASP provided this record in response to our request.

The AG's opinion states the two troopers object to the release. Their names were not provided but we think we might have an idea who they are.

Four troopers were suspended for having sex on duty:

Chad Maness

Zack Owens

Justin Ricketts

David Smothers

Perhaps the objectors are one of those four.

Or, it might have been one of these troopers:

Trooper Billy Martin had an inappropriate relationship with a 14 year old female in which they exchanged over 3,000 text messages. Martin also had an extramarital affair with a married woman

Billy Martin

Trooper Earnest Benton, in a fit of anger, broke a window in his girlfriend's home and unlocked the door and entered her home without her permission. He might have been inebriated as the ASP required him to go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

Earnest Benton

Trooper Brian Johnson showed up at a firearms training session a little tipsy. Johnson was tested and had a BAC of .014.

Brian Johnson

We will be requesting the personnel files and investigation records of all of the troopers on the list ASP provided to us.

Stay tuned for that.

ASP Trooper texts and stalks a 14 year old that was near same age as his own daughter, while having an affair with her married sister.

Was ASP Trooper Billy Martin trying to pull all 3 sisters? In January 2019, Callie Hinson and Joseph Ramer began dating. On June 13, 2020, Joseph proposed to Callie. They were married on February 21, 2021. By the time of their first anniversary, their marriage was in shambles and Callie was estranged from her family all due to this man, Arkansas State Police Trooper Billy Mitchell Martin. Martin joined the ASP as a recruit in January of 2007. Records from his personnel file indicate he was from Boone County and he was posted there after graduating troop school. Martin was promoted to Trooper First Class in July 2011 and Corporal in July 2014. In late 2019 and early 2020, Martin tried to get transferred to a Criminal Investigation position in Boone County but was unsuccessful. Around that same time, Martin filed for divorce from his wife of 10 years. The Divorce was finalized in March 2020. Martin hit the single scene hard and had no trouble hooking up with bad...

Arkansas State Police Troopers fired for illicit sexual relationship

Two Arkansas State Police Troopers were fired on April 5, 2024 after administrative investigations were conducted into accusations that they were romantically involved. Sgt. Mark Austin Blackerby (38 and married) of Scott and Trooper Jessica Diane McCord (30 and single) of Conway during their interviews with the State Police Office of Professional Standards ("OPS") in January 2024, were dishonest about the affair according to records provided to us by the ASP. Blackerby and his wife Cassie - a Jacksonville cop Initially, the investigation focused on Blackerby and both Blackerby and McCord denied a sexual relationship even though ASP vehicle tracking systems showed their vehicles parked at secluded locations for hours at at time and his vehicle at her home in Conway multiple times when he was on the clock. Blackerby admitted that he also disabled the tracking devices in his vehicle to try and hide his movements and their hookups. Blackerby told investigators that he is a ...

ASP Trooper Lincoln Smith fired for admitted criminal activity

The Arkansas State Police has confirmed that Trooper Lincoln Smith from Troop E (based in Pine Bluff) was fired on April 11th for illegal conduct. False reports of his arrest went viral on social media. As the ASP criminal investigation is on-going, they will not release any further details of his criminal actions. As the termination letter states, Smith admitted to criminal conduct and was immediately fired. Smith was hired by the ASP on October 2023. Smith was employed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as a Game Warden prior to his hiring by the ASP. Records obtained from CLEST do not indicate that the ASP requested decertification. Jacksonville 911 was contacted about Smith and they advised he last worked for them in 2022. At the time of publication, Smith's Facebook page is still open and up. Stay tuned for updates.

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