Stovall to be sworn in at midnight

Stovall to be sworn in at midnightMiller County sheriff-elect says he doesn’t want to waste any time

By: Susan Lindsey - Texarkana Gazette - Published: 12/31/2008

StovallWhen he takes office at midnight, Sheriff-elect Ron Stovall will not be wasting time taking his place as head of Miller County’s law enforcement agency.

“We have made arrangements to begin work right after midnight, if necessary,” Stovall said of going to work right after his swearing-in ceremony.

His work starts with the introduction of a new administration, which collectively has several years of experience in local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

“We have been very fortunate to have some people coming on board that has a proven record of integrity and experience and professionalism that we can bring to the Miller County Sheriff’s Office,” he said.

Stovall’s new administration consists of Mike Mauldin, a retired supervisor from the Texarkana, Ark., Police Department. He will take on the duties of chief deputy and head of the criminal investigation division. Robert Tibbit, also of the TAPD and a former Marine, will be Miller County’s coordinator of training and standards, a new division. Tommy Garner, a retiree from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, will be head of patrol. Charles Neff, from the Federal Bureau of Prisons, is the detentions administrator. Gary Turner, a retiree from the Arkansas Department of Correction, is the detention major, assistant to Neff. Stovall is also returning interim Sheriff Don Thornell to his original position in the criminal division and added David Bigby, retired FBI instructor.

All other positions within the department and jail will be filled by either those who already hold a position there or an outside applicant. However, everyone within the department will be required to go through the application process and background check, even if they currently hold a job there, Stovall said.

His reason behind this stipulation is to make sure the department “goes forward and not backwards” in its attempt to change the public image of the sheriff’s department.

Stovall said public safety is a key concern as sheriff and he intends to make departmental training a priority. He said this will guarantee citizens are protected to the best of the department’s ability.

“The first week we’re there, we will establish the priorities of training,” said Stovall. “We’re committed to training one night a month ... each hour they train, it will be something that can be certified through the Arkansas Minimum Standards Commission.”

Working with the TAPD is a prime role in public safety for him as well.

“We’re very fortunate in Texarkana (Ark.) to have a good chief of police ... and one of the better police departments in the state,” Stovall said. “I feel we need to work hand in hand with this agency to provide the very best law enforcement we can, not only for the people of Texarkana but also for the people of Miller County.”

He also intends to increase security measures at the jail to decrease the number of escapes.

“We’ve already started assessing the security situation there. We already have some plans in place,” Stovall said. “But we have to provide a secure environment for the people of Miller County and particular the people in that area. But we will start immediately implementing procedures to make that facility more safe and hold the people that work there more accountable than they have in the past.”

To decrease the amount of illegal drugs on the streets, Stovall said his department will work closely with the local agencies.

“It’s been close to three years since there’s been a major drug arrest in Miller County and we will start working with the drug task force to do our best to decrease the drug trafficking in Miller County.”

Through his role of captain of Arkansas State Police Troop G, Stovall has previous knowledge of the raid and case against the Tony Alamo Christian Ministries. He says although the case is in the hands of higher authorities, his department will be made available to both the FBI and the Arkansas State Police in any capacity they are needed.

Stovall will be sworn in at midnight by Kirk Johnson, Jim Hudson and Joe Griffin, the three circuit judges who serve Miller County. At that time he takes the reins from Thornell.

“Don has worked extremely hard in that capacity. He’s been very dedicated to the purpose that he was given, and I think we owe a debt of gratitude to the job that he has done,” Stovall said. “He’s had to make a lot of hard decisions and difficult decisions ... and done the very best he possibly can. And I think he should be commended for the job that he’s done.”

Stovall said he is confident that his 38 years in law enforcement and prior service as a Marine have prepared him.

“Sometimes we get to choose our own time and sometimes times chooses us. I feel that this time was chosen for me to take this responsibility and build an agency that has credibility and accountability to the people of this county,” he said.
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