Arkansas Police Chief Resigns After Calling Reporter A ‘Smelly Left Wing Liberal’ On Facebook
The chief of the Jonesboro, Arkansas police resigned on Monday, just three days after being suspended by the mayor for making derogatory comments on Facebook in which he called a local news reporter a “smelly” “left wing liberal” and a backer of marijuana smoking, according to Reuters.
[su_center_ad]Mike Yates, chief of police in Jonesboro, about 135 miles northeast of Little Rock, after serving for 9 years, said he was stepping down in order to take responsibility for his mistakes.
“I let my anger and pride override my wisdom and judgment by saying a number of things that are unacceptable given my position,” he said in his letter of resignation.
Reuters reports:
The reporter, Sunshine Crump, who resigned from the Jonesboro Sun last week after complaining she no longer felt safe, will rejoin the newspaper, its editor said.
Angered by stories written by Crump, Yates posted comments suggesting she had an arrest record and had been suspended from the practice of law. His Facebook postings described Crump as “pro-dope smoking,” a “left-wing liberal” and “smelly.”
Crump countered that her only arrest was for an anti-war protest while a college student, and that her attorney’s license fell inactive because she discontinued her law practice.
Sun publisher David Mosesso said Crump would return and be assigned to a beat other than law enforcement.
“You’re never happy about someone losing their job but I really couldn’t see him returning in his role as police chief,” Mosesso said of Yates. “I think he’d lost the respect of the citizens of Jonesboro.”
Watch courtesy of KAIT 8:
KAIT-Jonesboro, AR-News, weather, sports
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craig7120 August 26th, 2014 at 11:47 am
That’s ashame, in the most insincere tone I’m able to produce.
Janet D'Angelo Beardsley August 26th, 2014 at 11:57 am
…”described Crump as “pro-dope smoking,” a “left-wing liberal”… that’s supposed to be an insult??????
Carla Akins August 26th, 2014 at 12:12 pm
Bwahaha. Points.
Anomaly 100 August 26th, 2014 at 12:31 pm
I never get points.
R.J. Carter August 26th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Well, you haven’t had your license all that long. Give it time.
Anomaly 100 August 26th, 2014 at 2:28 pm
Carla is on her way home now. She can tell you what an excellent driver I am. (She was in fear for her life every time I drove)
R.J. Carter August 26th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
That should be his defense.
Denise August 26th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
he looks kkklanish. Accusing her of smoking pot when you do not have proof sounds line slander to me. on the other hand, what do you expect from an obvious right leaning idiot. If she has smoked pot, there are worse crimes, such as being a total jackass!
DaddyO_969 August 26th, 2014 at 6:03 pm
He’s a cop. What do you expect?
Suzanne McFly August 26th, 2014 at 12:20 pm
He’s not out of a job, he is simply moved behind the scenes. In the good ‘ol boys club, no one is ever thrown overboard.
mea_mark August 26th, 2014 at 1:21 pm
Time to find a department like Ferguson has/had.
Simy68 August 26th, 2014 at 12:23 pm
gotta love justice. mmmm
Fossil1944 August 26th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Often republicans have a slip of the tongue and accidentally reveal just how out of touch their beliefs are with the majority opinion in our country. We should give them as much air time as possible, keep the mic in their face, and the questions coming.
craig7120 August 26th, 2014 at 12:50 pm
They (republicans) sure draw a bold line in the sand.
I’m a union thug, republicans make it very clear they don’t need my vote. I express that with friends of different political opinions.
R.J. Carter August 26th, 2014 at 12:38 pm
I’d have never guessed “Sunshine Crump” would be a liberal.
MIAtheistGal August 26th, 2014 at 1:50 pm
Why, did she name herself?
R.J. Carter August 26th, 2014 at 1:57 pm
No, but she didn’t use any non-sixties hippy variation, either.
Abby Normal August 26th, 2014 at 1:16 pm
If Norman Rockwell were alive today . . .
Imma Commenter August 26th, 2014 at 1:24 pm
We punished him by giving him a job.
Budda August 26th, 2014 at 5:52 pm
She needs to go after him in a civil suit. Pursue him and his kind. You know he would hunt her down if he still had a badge.
Jon Scott Duffey August 26th, 2014 at 6:47 pm
Jonesboro Arkansas… the first and only one of two places in my long career as a TV journalist where my efforts to nudge diversity forward and support of human rights initiatives were NOT appreciated. (put mildly)
The last straw: The excellent African American photographer dragged me into the dark room and told me to shush because I would “improve nothing and only make his life more hellish” for complaining to our boss about assigning the prime assignments with benefits (like a Governor’s dinner) to the white kids… and sending minorities to face the dregs of danger and discomfort (such as the health risks from mosquito infestations in flooded rice fields.)
I’m sad to see bigotry and prejudice of any type can apparently still survives in that part of America. Before being encouraged by the chief’s resignation… I would suggest no police officer in that area would throw-in the towel over a name calling incident. His turning in his badge and patrol car keys is probably due to someone very powerful in that town leaning heavily on him to get out of the spotlights ––– to avoid more volatile revelations being dragged into the public arena.
Wish I were up for finding out what THAT might be.
mmaynard119 August 26th, 2014 at 10:34 pm
Doesn’t O’Reilly call Alan that, too?