Tag: arkansas

Here are the names of the neo-Nazis who rallied at a Little Rock civil rights site on Saturday

By now, you’ve probably already heard the news that a group of neo-Nazis rallied and marched in front of the Arkansas Capitol and Little Rock Central High School this past Saturday before climbing into the back of a U-Haul box truck that was later stopped by police.

News of the incident has gone viral, with a video from Al Jazeera English being shared over 16,000 times on Instagram. 

The group calls itself Blood Tribe and was founded in 2022 by former United States Marine and tattoo artist Christopher Pohlhaus. The group, dressed in red and black, carry flags with swastikas and chant white supremacist slogans as they disrupt pro-LGBTQ+ events and rally in different states. The group helped spread the racist rumor that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio, before the 2024 election. The Southern Poverty Law Center describes Blood Tribe as a white supremacist group that is unabashed about its admiration of Adolf Hitler.

Now we know the identities of 22 of the 23 men in the truck, one of whom is Pohlhaus. All but one of them are from out of state. On Thursday, the Little Rock Police Department released incident reports and bodycam footage related to last weekend’s incident in response to a request under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act. 

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Arkansas will become first state to end PBS affiliation

Arkansas’ statewide public television network will end its affiliation with PBS starting in July 2026, the Arkansas Educational Television Commission announced this week.

The station, formerly known as Arkansas PBS, will also rebrand as Arkansas TV.

The commission cited a $2.5 million reduction in annual federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the cost of PBS membership fees as factors in its decision. A news release announcing the move called the dues “simply not feasible.”

Programming is expected to remain largely unchanged through June 30, 2026. After that date, the network plans to introduce locally produced programming, including children’s, food and history series currently in development, as well as “favorites from the last 60 years.”

“Public television in Arkansas is not going away,” Executive Director and CEO Carlton Wing said in the release. “In fact, we invite you to join our vision for an increased focus on local programming, continuing to safeguard Arkansans in times of emergency and supporting our K-12 educators and students. … We are confident that we can secure ongoing and increased support from individual donors, foundation partners and corporate sponsors who see the value in investing in new local programming that serves our state.”

PBS content will continue to be accessible to Arkansas residents through other platforms, Arkansas TV said.

In response to the announcement, a PBS spokesperson told Nexstar’s KNWA that Arkansas TV’s decision to end membership “is a blow to Arkansans who will lose free, over-the-air access to quality PBS programming they know and love.”

The spokesperson cited a June 2025 YouGov survey, which PBS said showed strong support for the network in the state. According to the company, the survey found a majority of survey participants opposed limiting funding for PBS and agreed that its programming was beneficial for children and the community.

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Arkansas AG Busts Three Non-Citizens for Illegal Voting, Vows to Protect Election Integrity

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has announced the arrests of three non-citizens accused of illegally casting votes in recent elections.

The probe began earlier this year when federal officials alerted Griffin’s office to discrepancies between the voters’ records and their citizenship status.

Working alongside Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, investigators identified three individuals who had illegally voted.

All three women face felony charges for violating Arkansas election laws, with two also charged with perjury for falsely claiming U.S. citizenship on voter registration forms.

Cecilia Castellanos, 59, of Rogers, was arrested and charged with one count of perjury (a Class C felony) and one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws.

Castellanos is a Cuban national with a pending order of removal from an immigration judge dating back to 1999 and has three prior felony convictions in New York state. She allegedly marked on her voter registration form that she was a U.S. citizen and had no prior felonies, then proceeded to vote illegally in the 2024 general election.

Zlata Risley, 50, of Hot Springs Village, faces one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. Originally from Kazakhstan, she is a lawful permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen. She is accused of voting illegally in the 2024 primary.

Chi Baum, 59, of Texarkana, was charged with one count of perjury (a Class C felony) and one Class D felony count for violating Arkansas’s election laws. From Nigeria, she holds conditional permanent resident status but is not a citizen.

Like Castellanos, Baum allegedly falsely claimed citizenship on her registration form and voted in the 2024 general election.

Attorney General Griffin emphasized the state’s commitment to election security in a statement, writing, “Arkansas’s elections are sound and secure, which is why we deal swiftly and decisively when rare infractions like these come to our attention. I am committed to preserving the integrity of our democratic process.”

Griffin credited his office’s Special Investigations Division’s Election Integrity Unit and local prosecuting attorneys for their work on the cases.

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Arkansas Double Murder Suspect Investigated in Multiple Unsolved Killings Nationwide

Arkansas authorities say the man accused of stabbing an Arkansas couple to death during a family hiking trip is being investigated for potential ties to multiple other unsolved murders across the United States, as reported by Fox News.

Andrew James McGann, a former schoolteacher with positions in several southeastern states, is charged with capital murder in the July 26 killings of Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, and her husband, Clinton David Brink, 43.

The couple was hiking with their children at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County, Arkansas, when they were attacked.

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Suspect arrested in double homicide at Devil’s Den State Park

Authorities have arrested a suspect in the murders of Clinton David Brink, and Cristen Amanda Brink, at Devil’s Den State Park.

James Andrew McGann, 28, of Springdale was arrested by special agents of the Arkansas State Police on July 30.

The double homicide took place Saturday, July 26, 2025.

He was taken in at 4:57 p.m., on Wednesday, July 30, at a business location in Springdale.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement following the arrest.

“No news can heal the enormous harm done to the Brink family in last weekend’s crime, but this announcement is a comfort and reassurance for our State. I am so proud of the Arkansas State Police, Park Rangers, local law enforcement, and others who have worked nonstop since last weekend to capture this suspect. I ask that Arkansans lift up prayers of thanks for the brave men and women of law enforcement – and offer prayers of condolence to the victims of this horrific crime. Let there be no mistake – we do not tolerate violent crime in Arkansas. If you target innocent people, law enforcement will hunt you down and bring you to justice.”

ASP Col. Mike Hagar added, “I’m extremely grateful for the long hours and dedication that our Agents put forward in bringing justice to this family,” ASP Col. Mike Hagar added.

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Arkansas State Police release police sketch of ‘person of interest’ in murder of couple at Devil’s Den Park

Arkansas State Police have released a sketch drawing of a person of interest in their search for the killer of a couple at Devil’s Den State Park. Their two young daughters, who were innocent bystanders at the time of the killings, were fortunately left unharmed.

On Monday, the department recently released a composite sketch depicting a man wearing a baseball hat. Police referred to the unidentified man as the “person of interest” in the case who was last seen in the park at the time of the murders.

Authorities described the suspect as a “White male with a medium build, who was seen wearing a long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves who was also carrying a black backpack.”

Police noted that the suspect had been seen “driving toward a park exit in a black, four-door sedan” – possibly a Mazda with tape covering the license plate. The vehicle may have also been traveling on State Route 170 or 220, they added.

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Police search for suspect in killing of couple hiking with daughters at Arkansas park

Police are searching for a suspect in the deaths of a couple who were attacked on a trail in Arkansas on Saturday while walking with their two daughters, according to investigators.

Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, were found dead at Devil’s Den State Park in Washington County in a suspected double homicide, Arkansas State Police (ASP) said. Their daughters, ages 7 and 9, were not injured and are now safely with family members.

Police added that the couple had recently moved to Prairie Grove from out of state.

Investigators asked that anyone who visited the park on Saturday check their cellphone photos and videos or GoPro footage for any images of the suspect.

They also want any individuals who live in the vicinity of the park to notify ASP if they have access to security and game camera footage.

Officials described the suspect as a white man wearing dark shorts, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was seen driving towards the park exit in a black four-door sedan, believed to be a Mazda, with a license plate that may be covered by electrical or duct tape.

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Federal Court Upholds Arkansas Hemp Restrictions, Contradicting Texas Governor’s Stance In Vetoing Proposed Ban In His State

Several of the reasons Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made for vetoing a statewide THC ban, SB 3, were rejected Tuesday by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Texas legislature overwhelmingly passed SB 3 with bipartisan support during the regular legislative session. Late Sunday night, Abbott vetoed it.

In his proclamation explaining the veto, he said SB 3 was “well-intentioned. But it would never go into effect because of valid constitutional challenges.” If it were enacted, “its enforcement would be enjoined for years, leaving existing abuses unaddressed,” he said, adding that “Texas cannot afford to wait.”

He pointed to Arkansas enacting a THC ban in 2023, Act 629, which was challenged in court. A lower court halted it from going into effect, arguing it would “likely [be] preempted by federal statutes and that its criminal provisions were likely unconstitutionally vague,” Abbott said. “The result in Arkansas? Their law has sat dormant, meaningless, having no effect for nearly two years while further legal proceedings play out. That result must be avoided in Texas,” Abbott said.

Instead, he proposed regulating THC similar to how alcohol is regulated.

On Monday, Patrick challenged each of Abbott’s arguments, saying they were flawed and factually inaccurate. Federal law expressly permits states to impose their own restrictions, including banning THC, Patrick said. He also said the Fourth and Seventh circuits have ruled as much and California and Colorado banned THC with no problems, The Center Square reported.

He said he believed the 8th Circuit would rule in favor of Arkansas.

One day later, it did.

On Tuesday, a panel of judges on the Eighth Circuit, including the chief judge, reversed the lower court’s injunction.

The judges also confirmed Patrick’s argument, stating in their 16-page ruling that nothing in the 2018 Farm Bill “preempts or limits any law of a State or Indian tribe that…regulates production of hemp and is more stringent than this subchapter.”

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Ex-Police Chief Serving Time for Rape and Murder Escapes Arkansas Prison Wearing Homemade Police Uniform

Former Gateway, Arkansas police chief Grant Hardin escaped from prison Saturday while serving a 50 and 30-year sentences for rape and first degree murder. According to authorities, Hardin wore a homemade police uniform to escape, wheeling supplies though the yard to fool guards.

Excerpt from the New York Post:

A disgraced ex-Arkansas police chief who was serving 80 years in prison for rape and a shotgun-to-the-head execution escaped from a high-security prison disguised as a cop.

Grant Hardin, 56, the former police chief of Gateway near the Arkansas-Missouri border, was seen on security cameras walking out of the North Central Unit prison, in Calico Rock, dressed in what appears to be a homemade law enforcement uniform on Sunday afternoon.

Hardin, who is considered extremely dangerous, used the outfit to sneak through the controlled gate while inconspicuously pushing a cart full of utility materials, according to the Stone County Sheriff’s Office.

…In 2017, Hardin pleaded guilty to the murder of James Appleton, 59, a Gateway water department employee who was shot in the head at point-blank range with a shotgun while on the phone with his brother-in-law, who was at the time the mayor.

…While incarcerated, Hardin’s DNA was tested and linked to a 1997 rape case that saw an elementary school teacher sexually assaulted at gunpoint inside a school bathroom while a community church service occured down the hall.

Hardin pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping in 2018, with a judge sentencing him to an additional 50 years in jail.

Statement and updates by the Arkansas Department of Corrections, “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – CALICO ROCK – On Sunday, May 25, at approximately 3:40 p.m., inmate Grant Hardin, ADC #168541, escaped from the North Central Unit. Anyone with information about inmate Hardin’s whereabouts should contact local law enforcement immediately.”

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Arkansas GOP Governor Vetoes Bill To Allow Drive-Thru Medical Marijuana Sales At Dispensaries And Ease Delivery Rules

The Republican governor of Arkansas has vetoed a bill that would have allowed medical cannabis sales at drive-thru windows at dispensaries, while also easing certain rules around marijuana delivery services for patients and caregivers.

After the legislation from Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R) narrowly advanced through the legislature, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) returned the measure with a veto message on Wednesday.

“This legislation would expand access to usable marijuana, therefore I am vetoing this legislation,” Sanders said.

Under the bill, licensed dispensaries would be have been authorized to “deliver usable marijuana to a qualified patient or designated caregiver via a drive-through window located at the dispensary,” the text says.

People would have needed to place an online order and pick up their products on the same day of the transaction.

The measure also would have revised existing statute to allow visitors to tour dispensaries in additional to cultivation facilities. And it would have made it so conventional medical cannabis deliveries could be handled by one employee, instead of the current minimum of two, if additional security measures were taken.

The governor didn’t address any of the specifics of the bill, instead simply voicing opposition to the idea of expanding access to cannabis.

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