Ex-investigator accused of stealing from officer group

HOT SPRINGS — A former Garland County sheriff’s investigator was arrested Tuesday and charged with a felony count of theft, accused of stealing money from the Arkansas Narcotics Officers Association while serving as treasurer.

Michael Wright, 48, who resigned from the sheriff’s office July 1 with the rank of sergeant, was charged with theft of property worth more than $5,000, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and released on $3,500 bond. An appearance date had not been set as of Thursday.

Wright, who lists a Pearcy address, was employed with the sheriff’s office for 20 years, according to Sheriff Mike McCormick.

McCormick said a court order prevented him from commenting further on the charge filed against Wright.

Wright was arrested by the Arkansas State Police after a warrant was issued March 7 and the charge was filed by Jason Barrett, special prosecuting attorney, after an investigation by state police special agent Joe Pickett.

According to the probable-cause affidavit, on July 13 Pickett was assigned to conduct an investigation at the request of Barrett against Wright, who was accused of stealing a felony amount of money from the Arkansas Narcotics Officers Association during his tenure as the association’s treasurer.

Pickett made contact July 18 with Wade Baxter, a member of the association, who told him after the organization’s 2017 conference that he, Brandon Grimes, the group’s president, and Capt. Robb Rounsavall of the Mississippi County sheriff’s office asked Wright about the association’s finances. Baxter said Wright was unable to provide the group with an ending balance but told them the balance would be “somewhere close to $5,000,” according to the affidavit.

Baxter said the estimate “did not sound right” because of deposits that needed to be made and additional association dues that could be coming in, according to the affidavit. He said he sent a text message June 25 to Wright and Grimes asking why the deposits in question had not been made. Wright responded he was “working on it” and still had money bags in his safe at home, the affidavit said. Baxter noted the deposits were made a couple of days later.

Baxter said Wright texted him June 27 and requested to speak with him. He said Wright then called him and “began crying, stating he was sorry,” according to the affidavit. Wright told him he was having financial trouble and had written checks to himself out of the association’s account, the affidavit said, and he told Baxter “this had been going on for a couple of years.”

Baxter said he asked Wright how much money was missing but Wright did not know. Baxter said he immediately notified other board members of the situation, the affidavit said. He said he spoke to Wright again July 17 after Wright reached out to him in a text message and Wright “continued to deny knowing exactly how much money he took” from the association, according to the affidavit.

Baxter said Wright told him he would be willing to reimburse the association $8,500, according to the affidavit. Pickett met with Rounsavall about the case July 20 and Rounsavall said he was advised June 27 by Baxter that Wright had admitted to stealing funds, approximately $3,000 to $4,000, the affidavit said. Rounsavall said he spoke to Wright on July 5 and Wright told him he was having “financial issues” and took the money to pay his bills, the affidavit said. He said Wright told him he believed he had taken $3,000 to $4,000.

Rounsavall said Wright contacted him again July 17 and asked if he could sit down with the group’s leaders and “pay back the money he stole,” according to the affidavit. He said he would be willing to show them which checks he wrote to himself, the document said.

An audit was requested and completed by the Legislative Audit Division, and Pickett met with auditor Jimmy Locke, who stated he had completed his analysis of the financial records, focusing on the revenue for January 2013 through July 2017.

Locke noted there was a shortage of $8,147.95 during this period, according to the affidavit. Locke also reported there was $25,084.68 worth of cash disbursements and reimbursements to Wright from the group’s bank account that he determined to be “suspicious.”

On Jan. 24, Pickett said he spoke to Grimes about the case, noting he had previously asked the board to review the “questionable withdrawals” by Wright as identified by Locke, according to the affidavit. Grimes said the board had examined the withdrawals and the approximately $8,900 shortage and would agree to “this loss total being recouped from Mike Wright.”