No charges will be filed against a former Fulton County’s sheriff’s officer, following an Arkansas State Police (ASP) investigation, according to an Areawide Media report. Former Fulton County Chief Deputy John Cawvey had been the subject of the investigation.
Fulton County Sheriff Al Roork told KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot news in March he had accepted Cawvey’s resignation.Sheriff Roork said the resignation followed him advising Cawvey of the pending investigation by ASP at the request of 16th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Eric Hance.
Areawide Media reports the investigation has been completed, and Hance says the facts developed throughout the case were “not as strongly suggestive of theft as the allegations in the original report.”
At the onset of the investigation, Roork declined to speak to the details leading to the probe. He said he did not know if his former deputy had committed any wrongdoings, but wanted to make sure. He said Cawvey is innocent until proven guilty of any forthcoming charges.
According to documents obtained from Hance’s office, an 83-year-old man was the reported victim of an attempted misdemeanor theft of property.
Information received by Salem Police Chief Shad Overman led to him requesting Hance conduct an investigation. The information indicated Cawvey had stolen items from a vacant gymnasium the victim owned in Salem.
According to the documents, Sheriff Roork and deputies had items in their possession the victim said had been stolen. Roork said the items had either been sold or traded by Cawvey.
The ASP investigator noted he interviewed the victim who gave a different account of the facts surrounding the case than the one he had given Chief Overman and Sheriff Roork. The victim said he had given Cawvey permission to sell the items in his gymnasium. He was to get 60% percent of the proceeds, with Cawvey receiving 40%.
The man said he never received payment for any of the items he noticed were gone from the gym. He said on one instance he brought up that a refrigerator and keyboard were missing. In response, Cawvey reportedly said the gym could have been broken into, and the neighborhood was getting bad.
The victim admitted to giving Cawvey a key to the building and also having a verbal agreement to have the former chief deputy liquidate the items inside. The items included a refrigerator, keyboard, AC unit, tar paper and a motorcycle.
The investigator was able to locate the AC unit, refrigerator and motorcycle.
Sheriff Roork was in possession of the AC unit, which he received in a trade with Cawvey for a rifle. Another officer was in possession of the non-working refrigerator. He used the refrigerator for parts and had paid Cawvey a few dollars for it. The motorcycle was in the possession of another officer, who said he and Cawvey worked out a deal for the vehicle between $600-800. However; the motorcycle had not been paid for because the buyer was waiting on a title from the victim.
In early April, the ASP investigator was contacted by Sheriff Roork with a new development. Sheriff Roork said the victim had met him at the post office in Salem. The man said he had received a registered letter from Cawvey, including a check for $500.
The victim and Sheriff Roork worked out a deal, with the AC unit being returned and Roork getting the S500 in lieu of Cawvey having the sheriff’s gun in his possession.
Earlier this month, Hance contacted Sheriff Roork and Chief Overman and said the investigation was complete, and no charges were being filed.
He said the victim may have been treated wrongly by Cawvey, but based upon his interview, he is convinced theft of property beyond a reasonable doubt cannot be proved.
Cawvey had served as Roorks chief deputy since the sheriff took office three years ago. Cawvey had served as a deputy under the former sheriff for a combined tenure of about five years.
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