Photo: Courtesy Areawide Media
Fulton County has a new judge following a special quorum court session Friday morning.
Jim Bicker has returned to the role he held as Fulton County judge from July through December 2013. He took the helm of Fulton County’s government in 2013 following the resignation of Judge Charles Willett, who became the administrator and chief executive officer of the Fulton County Hospital.
Bicker was selected to replace Jimmy Kendrick who submitted his resigation Thursday afternoon, effective at midnight.
Kendrick’s resignation follows a Fulton County Circuit Court jury finding him guilty of a felony count of theft of property with a fine of $10,000 last week.
The jury of seven women and five men deliberated about an hour before making its finding in the two-day trial.
The verdict follows Judge Kendrick being arrested and charged last August, after county employees and equipment were used to work on his private driveway. His arrest followed an Arkansas State Police (ASP) investigation.
In addition to his time as judge in 2013, Bicker served multiple terms as a justice of the peace on the Fulton County Quorum Court.
He is a retired educator, having worked for the Salem Public Schools for 27 years as a teacher and bus driver.
He and his wife, Sue, were named educators of the year by the Salem Chamber of Commerce in 2009. He also served on the Fulton County Hospital Board from 1995-2000.
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