UPDATE: Son of Guy-Perkins Superintendent Arrested in Case

Update: Members of the Guy-Perkins school board confirm to KARK that they accepted the resignation of superintendent David Westenhover during a meeting Thursday night. Westenhover will remain on administrative leave, and will still be paid through the end of the school year. K-12 principal Ryan Caussey has been named interim superintendent.
 

Original story:

""Mr. Westenhover do you have anything to say? " we asked as the Guy-Perkins superintendent was escorted to the waiting patrol car.

Superintendent David Westenhover spent the morning out of his office at the school, arriving at the Sheriff's Office shortly before noon.

"No, nothing not now," he said. "I've done nothing wrong."

Westenhover was arrested by the Faulkner County Sheriff's Office on two felony charges and a misdemeanor.

"Those are pretty serious charges, obviously, for someone in that position," said 20th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Cody Hiland.

According to court documents, an investigation into stolen weapons and property revealed Westenhover knowingly kept the stolen items at his home, helped his son avoid prosecution by taking him to another county, and then offered the owner of the items money to not report the crime to police.

"You see people we need to be able to trust fail, obviously it's disappointing," Hiland said. "But I would say that when this happens to people in positions of authority at public institutions, it's a reflection on the individual, not the school."

The arrest has stunned some parents as word has spread throughout the small town.

"That's not right. That's not right at all," said Demetris Campbell whose son attends Guy-Perkins High School.

Campbell was aware of Westenhover's being questioned by Sheriff's deputies when he was escorted from campus after the school day on November 7, 2012.

"I thought something should have been done then," she said. "Now, the board needs to get on this and get to the bottom of it and make a change. Unless they want a riot, because the community here wants the best for our kids."

This doesn't appear to be Westenhover's first encounter with law enforcement. The Arkansas Department of Correction confirmed Westenhover was convicted on drug charges in 1987 and was released from prison on parole in 1988.

"I did not know he had a background. he has no business teaching kids with a background like that," Campbell said.

District administrators and school board members declined to comment on the arrest, but they did confirm that all school district employees are required to undergo a background check.

When we asked Hiland about Westenhover's criminal history, he said it would be inappropriate to comment, but when we asked him if a criminal history could go undetected despite a background check he said there are some circumstances of that in the legal system.

"Sometimes a background check may not be sufficient," he said. "There might be other things at play there that might prohibit people from getting info they need."

KARK has reached out to the county where Westenhover was convicted of the 1987 charges. We are awaiting information on that case.

In the meantime, that leaves parents wondering what else they don't know.

"I'm getting a posse with the parents and we're going to find out what's going on, cause I don't think that's right ," Campbell said.

The Guy-Perkins School Board's regular meeting is scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m. They could take up the issue by adding the item to the agenda at tonight's meeting.