Crawford County shooting rattles courthouse

By Kenneth Fry Press Argus-Courier Editor

VAN BUREN — James Ray Palmer, upset about a divorce almost a decade ago, went to the Crawford County Courthouse on Sept. 23 to kill Circuit Judge Gary R. Cottrell, authorities said.

Lt. Brent Grill of the Van Buren Police Department said Palmer, armed with an assault rifle and two handguns, entered the courthouse around 3:30 p.m. Sept. 23. Palmer wore a long coat to conceal the weapons and he climbed the stairs to the second floor of the courthouse, Grill said.

The 48-year-old Alma man stood outside the judge’s office. He cleared the .223-caliber assault rifle which jammed. Secretary Kristi Jones noticed Palmer’s suspicious behavior on a surveillance monitor.

Jones went to an adjoining office to tell Vickie Jones, her mother and Cottrell’s administrative assistant, about the man’s unusual behavior after seeing a red laser through the door’s opaque glass. At that moment, Palmer came through the door, sprayed three shots into Vickie Jones’ office, two hitting her desk and one the wall behind her desk. One struck Jones in the leg.

Palmer then walked into Cottrell’s office without saying a word to either mother or daughter. When Palmer discovered Cottrell was not in his office, he backtracked, asking Vickie Jones where the judge was. Kneeling under her desk, Jones said the judge was not in the courthouse. Cottrell was at home, nursing a knee he had injured the Sunday prior.

Calmly, Palmer retreated from the second floor of the courthouse. On the first floor, he sprayed numerous bullets in the hallway and into two offices before walking out the Fourth Street entrance.

Once on the lawn of the courthouse, Palmer engaged in a two-minute gunfight with Van Buren police officers and Crawford County deputies in which Palmer fired as many as 70 rounds, Grill said.

Grill said Van Buren officers fired 20 rounds and sheriff’s deputies either three or four rounds. One bullet struck Palmer in the torso; a second in the head. He was pronounced dead a short time later at St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith.

Vickie Jones was taken to Sparks Regional Medical Center, where she was treated for her leg injury and later released.

As Jones was being put into the ambulance, she told Cottrell over the phone, “Judge, he came here specifically to kill you.”

“I guess God has something planned for me,” Cottrell said Wednesday morning on the steps of the courthouse.

He said the hardest thing for him is explaining to his children why someone would want to kill him.

“I’m sorry that someone felt such frustration that they had to go to this extent,” said Cottrell, who was accompanied to the courthouse by two deputies.

He said he does not remember Palmer or his case or believe he has had any contact with him since the divorce and child custody case.

He said he will not allow the incident to influence the way he rules on future cases.

“I took an oath,” Cottrell said. “It’s important that we don’t let these things change us and the way we live our life.”

During his 26 years on the bench, 13 years as a circuit judge and 13 years as a municipal judge, Cottrell said he had only received verbal threats.

“This guy came here to wipe out my office,” Cottrell said. “I believe if he had killed me, he would have killed everyone in his pathway.”

Photo Courtesy of Press Argus-Courier Crawford County Judge John Hall examines bullet holes in the judge’s door at the Crawford County Courthouse in September.

AAC board honors Cheryl Wilson

Cheryl Wilson, Union County Circuit Clerk (center), displays her award of appreciation for her service on the AAC board during her last board meeting Dec. 14. “I have enjoyed every bit of it,” Wilson said after the meeting. Also pictured are Chris Villines (left), AAC executive director, and Roger Haney, AAC board vice president and Washington County Treasurer.

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Above: Johnny Rye, AAC board member and Poinsett County Assessor (left), and appraiser Josh Bradley of Poinsett County listen to one of the presentations. Left: Saline County Assessor and AAC board member Jim Crawford.

Assessors, county clerks join EQ Board members at seminar

Thirty-seven assessors and 13 county clerks were among the 260 in attendance at the 2011 Equalization Board seminar July 26, presented by the Arkansas Assessment Coordination Department at the Wyndham Hotel in North Little Rock.

With ACD Director Debra Asbury presiding, Gov. Mike Beebe offered opening remarks and received an enthusiastic reception from the roomful of county officials and EQ Board members from around the state. The group was also officially welcomed by Janet Troutman Ward, Pulaski County Assessor.

Morning training included an overview by Asbury, and discussion of agricultural property and mineral rights, led by Rob McGee.

Faye Tate Hansburg, ACD deputy director, and ACD legal counsel Bob Leslie offered new board member orientation. Breakout questions and answers included legal questions, ratios/Act 1189 and reappraisal performance audits.

Following a buffet lunch, Amy Thomas walked the attendees through a sales validation audit and ratio study, followed by a review of the day’s training and final questions and answers.

The 2012 EQ Board seminar is scheduled for next July 17 at the Wyndham Hotel.

Assessors, county clerks and various other county employees and officials listen to Gov. Mike Beebe’s opening remarks at the EQ Board seminar in July.

ACD Director Debra Asbury

leads one of the discussion sessions for the 260 elected officials and board members.

County treasurers (from left) Debbie Cross (Greene County), Becky Gattas (Phillips County), Judy Burnett (Prairie County) and Tim Stuckey (Grant County) organize talking points at the head table for a panel discussion during the budget preparation meeting at the AAC in late July.

Above: Linda McNeil, Perry County Deputy Clerk, and Bob Treadway, Independence County Treasurer, stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Right: Nelda Speaks, Baxter County Treasurer, listens to ways to take pressure off the county general fund.

County treasurers get jump on budget preparation

Approximately 60 county treasurers and their staff members got a jump on the 2012 budget process by participating in a July 27 workshop on revenue projections and budget preparations at the Association of Arkansas Counties facilities in Little Rock.

“The budget process, including the calculation of revenue projections, may be difficult and trying – but is an extremely important part of county government operations,” workshop leader Eddie Jones told the group. Jones served 26 years as Randolph County Treasurer and three years as director of the Association of Arkansas Counties.

“A good county budget process can be summed up as a combination of leadership, collaboration and communication,” said Jones.

A panel of five county treasurers related specifics on budget preparations for the treasurer’s office and proper use of the county treasurer’s automation fund. They also shared ways of taking the pressure off the county general fund. Panelists were Janet Hibbitts, White County; Debbie Cross, Greene County; Becky Gattas, Phillips County; Tim Stuckey, Grant County; and Judy Burnett, Prairie County.

Arkansas law requires the quorum court of each county to make an appropriation for the expenses of county government for the following year before the end of each fiscal year – which is

A good county budget process can be summed up as a combination of

leadership, collaboration and communication.

— Eddie A. Jones

Tim Stuckey, Grant County Treasurer, comments during a panel discussion. Eddie A. Jones, county consultant, talks about the relative relationship between revenue projections and expenses and how important it is to have accurate revenue projections. “If you to have err, err on the side of conservatism,” he said.

Dec. 31 for Arkansas county government.

The budget process starts with a good set of revenue projections, said Jones.

“One of the key points to be understood in the development of a county budget is that the budget, which represents expenditures, is only as good as the revenue projections on which it is based. It is extremely important to have accurate revenue projections. If you err – err on the side of conservatism,” he said.

More times than not budget requests exceed revenue. “Always approach budget cuts on a priority basis,” Jones said. A.C.A. 14-14-802 provides a list of services and functions that a county must provide and a list that a county may provide. “Start the cuts in the ‘may’ section. Although some of these services and functions may seem very important, they are not required by law,” he said.

Remember the quorum court appropriates the money, he added. “It is sometimes difficult for the executive branch and the legislative branch to work together. We tend to look at things from different perspectives. But, we must respect others. Different views force us to think,” he said. “If we work to understand why others are expressing ideas that we find disagreeable – it will normally cause them to do the same. At that point you will be able to forge a workable compromise – a solution. Use a little diplomacy and wisdom.”

Because of the elements involved in preparing a county budget, the officials most likely to be involved are the county judge, county clerk, county treasurer, and for the counties that have one – the comptroller.

“We were happy to put together this most informative workshop through our ACE Program in an effort to help our county officials get ready for their critical budget process,” said Chris Villines, AAC executive director. “This is one of those duties of county government that, although extremely complex, often goes unnoticed by the public due to how well their county officials work together to get the job done.”

The ARcounties Continuing Education (ACE) Program is the educational arm of the Association of Arkansas Counties.

Janet Hibbitts, White County Treasurer, talks about budget preparations and how to use the county treasurer’s automation fund.

County clerks train with Secretary of State’s office

The Secretary of State’s office spent several days in July at the Association of Arkansas Counties building training county clerks, election commissioners and county coordinators on all aspects of voting equipment and election laws.

The Election Division maintains the state’s election records and assists county officials with conducting federal, state and district elections by helping to ensure compliance with federal election laws such as the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.

The department serves as a clearinghouse for campaign finance reports that are filed with the Arkansas Ethics Commission, and the library of the Elections Division maintains the journals and acts of the Legislature along with all incorporations and annexations of cities and towns.

On The Web

www.sos.arkansas.gov Tracy White (left), Independence County Clerk, and Rhonda Cole, Clark County Clerk, participate in an election equipment training session with the Secretary of State’s office in July at the AAC building.

Above: Kim Gardner (sitting, middle), Secretary of State election coordinator, and Jerry Amick with Election Systems and Software, Inc. discuss the proper procedures and logistics of processing an election night report.

Right: Rob Hammons, assistant director of elections with the Secretary of State, trains county clerks and election volunteers how to navigate a digital ballot and the various displayed pages involved in the voting process.

Did you Know? About 6,000

people attended the Christmas lighting ceremony at the State Capitol on Dec. 3. Secretary Mark Martin and Arkansas Easter Seals representatives flipped the switch on almost three miles of lights on the Capitol grounds.