Lafayette Woods Jr. appears to have won his Democratic primary to retain his position as Jefferson County sheriff for a third term.
Woods has been withstanding a challenge from Mark Cannon at the polls and in the courts. Cannon, who has no formal experience in law enforcement, filed a lawsuit against Woods, claiming the latter previously committed an “infamous crime” of misdemeanor theft — the record for such crime believed to have been sealed in court — and should be disqualified from running for or serving in public office under state law.
Through early and absentee voting, and with all 34 poll sites (170 precincts) reporting, unofficial returns were:
Woods; 4,882
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Cannon; 2,547
By count, Woods has advanced to face independent Chris Lowery in the November general election.
“Traditionally the early voting count has given a trend as to what the final count will be,” Woods said before results from the first reporting precincts were turned in. “History shows that. I feel poised and confident in the job I’ve done, and hopefully the voters feel the same thing.”
But the legal battle between Woods and Cannon isn’t over.
A hearing on Cannon’s lawsuit is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday in the 2nd Division Courtroom at the Jefferson County Courthouse.
Woods’ attorney, Kimberly Dale of Paragould, filed a motion for sanctions and a motion for summary judgment against Cannon, adding the sole purpose is to stop what she called “the abuse of the legal process by Mr. Cannon.”
On Monday, Cannon’s attorney, Casey Castleberry of North Little Rock, filed responses to the motions. Castleberry argued admissions Cannon made under the Rules of Civil Procedure do not resolve the question of Woods’ eligibility and that those admissions do not stop Cannon from having “his day in court in this special proceeding.”
As part of the response, Castleberry filed an affidavit from Jefferson County Judge Gerald Robinson, who hired Woods onto the sheriff’s department in 2004.
Robinson stated: “As part of the hiring process, I reviewed Mr. Woods’ criminal background report generated through standard law-enforcement background-check procedures.
“The criminal background report I reviewed reflected that Mr. Woods had a misdemeanor theft conviction. At that time, I was not aware that a misdemeanor theft conviction could be disqualifying for elected office.”
Former Pine Bluff police officer Dexter Holmes said in another affidavit Castleberry filed he detained Woods for theft of property and completed a theft citation in connection with the incident, after observing him shoplift a rifle scope from Walmart in either 1997 or 1998, when he was about 16 or 17. Woods is 45.
Holmes stated he “did not have anything against Mr. Woods and did not object to the sealing of his record.”
Asked whether he committed the crime as specified in documents, Woods responded: “The proper venue for that discussion is the judicial system. So, anybody can file a lawsuit. It does not mean it holds merit. There are a lot of holes and lies, and one of the things voters understand is the timing of this. The filing comes in a day before the vote, so obviously there is no secret about the stifling going on between me and the county judge. At the end of the day, the courts are going to decide that matter in the proper venue, and I trust that process.”
RESULTS FROM OTHER RACES
PINE BLUFF WARD 3
Watson Chapel High School Principal Jeffrey Neal unseated first-term Councilwoman Lanette Frazier in a Ward 3 seat on the Pine Bluff City Council.
With all 34 poll sites reporting, unofficial returns were:
Neal; 983
Frazier; 580
PINE BLUFF WARD 4
It appeared Steven Mays Sr. would retain his seat on the Pine Bluff City Council in Ward 4 after a challenge from Nathaniel Baker.
With all 34 poll sites reporting, unofficial returns were:
Mays; 630
Baker; 220
PBSD ZONE 2
The only contested race in the Pine Bluff School District Board of Directors unfolded in Zone 2, and it resulted in a new board member:
Arnold Robertson Jr., who has more than two decades of experience as a principal in the Pine Bluff and Dollarway school districts, looks to serve in the PBSD again with a sizable lead over incumbent LozAnne Calhoun.
With all 34 poll sites reporting, unofficial returns were:
Robinson; 568
Calhoun; 292
Christen Shelton ran unopposed for the Zone 1 seat and will succeed Jomeka Edwards, starting this month.
Incumbents Ricky Whitmore Jr. in Zone 3 and Charles Colen in Zone 5 also ran unopposed.
SPECIAL MEETING
The Jefferson County Election Commission has called a special meeting for 10 a.m. Wednesday at its headquarters at 123 S. Main St. The purpose is to reconstruct 10 or more damaged absentee ballots.
Another meeting to adjudicate any provisional and absentee ballots and approve manual audit of unofficial election results is still scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday.
