Saline County Judge Predicts Higher Crime Rate
By: Import User
Updated: January 7, 2009
Saline County Judge Mike Robinson predicts an
increase in crime in the county because it is having a hard time
holding misdemeanor criminals.
The state was trying to close the overcrowded county jail, so
officials decided this month to stop holding minor offenders there.
But prosecutor Robert Herzfeld said the change causes new
problems. The law requires a certain amount of jail time for
misdemeanors like domestic battery, terroristic threatening and
second driving offenses.
That means those offenders must be held in another county.
The crisis also affects city law enforcement in Benton, Bryant,
Bauxite and Haskell, who also use the Saline County jail. Benton
Police Chief Gary Sipes is encouraging his officers to issue
citations instead of arrests to lessen the burden on the county
lockup.
