PLEASANT PLAINS, Ark. – The assistant police chief of Pleasant Plains was suspended and subsequently terminated due to allegations of inappropriate conduct.
The Independence County Sheriff’s Office reported that on Friday, May 17, they received a complaint that 37-year-old Aaron Wilson was behaving inappropriately.
“Following a criminal investigation, formal charges were presented to the 16th Judicial District Prosecutor’s office against former Officer Aaron Wilson,” the sheriff’s office stated in a release.
Independence County Sheriff Shawn Stephens confirmed that Wilson was arrested on Friday, May 31, and released on bond the same day.
Pleasant Plains Mayor Ken Burns noted that Wilson was suspended on Friday, May 24, and terminated on Tuesday, May 28.
On Saturday, June 1, Pleasant Plains Police Chief Gary Franks released the following statement:
On Monday, the 13th of May a complaint was filed against former Assistant Chief of Police Aaron Wilson of the Pleasant Plains Police Department. I Chief of Police Gary Franks conducted an internal investigation on the complaint. During the investigation the complainant refused to provide me with needed information and took the complaint to the Independence County Sheriff’s Department. The Independence County Criminal Investigation Division assisted Pleasant Plains Police Department with gathering information needed for the internal investigation due to the complainant not cooperating with the investigation. Assistant Chief of Police Chief Wilson was placed on administrative leave immediately. After the findings of the investigation, Assistant Chief of Police Wilson was terminated from Pleasant Plains Police Department on Tuesday May 28th. For any questions or concerns in this matter, feel free to contact myself, Chief of Police Gary Franks Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Police Chief Gary Franks
According to online court records, Wilson is being charged with harassment, a Class A misdemeanor.
