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Eudora police chief arrested and charged with kidnapping \ UPDATE 11/15/24 - Former chief gets special sentence and will not serve any jail time

Eudora Police Chief Michael Pitts

 

The Arkansas State Police sent out a press release this afternoon that stated they had arrested the Eudora Police Chief on a kidnapping charge. Kidnapping is a Class B Felony.  For a Class B felony, the sentence shall be not less than five years nor more than twenty years and a fine not to exceed $15,000.00.


On October 26, 2023, Pitts responded to a disturbance call at Scott's Gas Station.


Pitts detained John Hill, Jr., a/k/a "Situation",  and drove him out of town to County Road 86 while telling him he was going to "beat his ass".

 

Upon arrival at  County Road 86, Pitts took Hill out of his patrol vehicle and in fact "beat his ass". Hill sustained significant injuries to his face and head. Pitts drove off leaving the injured Hill stranded on County Road 86.

Arkansas State Police investigators were originally skeptical of Hill's story. Hill told them that he had concealed a crack pipe in his hand and when Pitts yanked him from the patrol car and slammed him onto the ground he dropped the crack pipe. Upon further questioning Hill told the ASP investigators that the pipe was "chrome, small and long".

ASP investigators then went out to County Road 86 for thorough search of the area where the alleged incident occurred and low and behold guess what they found... a crack pipe matching the exact description given to them by Hill.

The ASP also tracked Pitts cellphone location at the time of the incident and it placed him at that location.

Additionally, a baseball cap that Hill had been wearing had been left on the back seat of Pitts patrol vehicle the night of the incident.  Footage from video surveillance cameras from area business had been used to track Pitts movements and some footage showed him parking at a dumpster near Southern Sips Too and turning his vehicle lights off. The ASP located Hills hat near that dumpster.


Here are the court records that have been filed so far.

 

For a small town Eudora has a shitload of problems with their city government. 

In April 2023, we published a story about city hall shenanigans. To view that story, click here.

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***UPDATE 11/15/24***

According to a press release from the Arkansas State Police, the former Eudora police chief pleaded no contest, also known as a nolo contendere plea, a legal option  where a defendant accepts punishment for a criminal charge without admitting guilt or denying the charges.

Pitts was originally charged with kidnapping, a Class B Felony. The charge was changed to Battery 3rd Degree, a misdemeanor.


Here's his plea statement.

 

Here's the order that suspended inposition of the sentence.

It should be standard procedure in Arkansas that if a cop is convicted of certain types of criminal offenses, they automically lose their law enforcement certification and are provihibited from ever regaining it.


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