JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Concerns persist about Doug Brimhall taking the court next year as 2nd Judicial District Circuit Judge.
Concerns arose after Brimhall was arrested in May on a felony charge of aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty in September to a misdemeanor charge of harassment.
This has led some people to express concerns about Mr Brimhall taking up the job from January.
Casey Kidd, from the Family Crisis Center, explained why she wrote the letter to the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission.
“I felt it was my duty to represent the agency and express my concerns about the future if Mr. Brimhall is able to sit on the bench in January,” Kidd said. .
Mr Kidd said Mr Brimhall’s conviction and his future position could have an impact on future victims and that if Mr Brimhall presided over the case, victims of domestic and sexual violence would He said people could be reluctant to report incidents and lose confidence in the justice system.
“We don’t want to see any more victims and that’s a very big concern that could happen if he were to become a judge,” Kidd said. “There are also concerns about what that says about our system and whether our real passion is to protect victims and ensure that they are truly given justice for the crimes against them. .”
Second Judicial District Attorney Sonia Hagood and Nazam Law Firm also sent a letter expressing their concerns.
“We felt like this was our time to speak up and this was the perfect time for us to stand up and show up for the victims,” Kidd said.
K8 News reached out to Doug Brimhall for a response to this concern, and he sent the following statement:
“Thank you for contacting me for an interview. For months, I have been reading the stories of the misunderstood, the unguided, and the misguided, while also trying to tell my own. I wanted to tell my story, but I also wanted to protect my daughter, so I sealed the legal team’s response to the state’s motion against Limine. It included a detailed timeline of events spanning several years.
I am grateful for the opportunity to be interviewed and fully disclosed, but doing so requires me to provide personal and private details that are not in my daughter’s best interests.
Therefore, while I appreciate the opportunity to share my side of the story, I will continue to make decisions based on my family’s best interests and opportunities for repair and reconciliation. ”
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