JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Weeks after pleading guilty to criminal charges, prosecutors are questioning a circuit judge-elect’s ability to serve the people of Northeast Arkansas.
Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood expressed concerns about Doug Brimhall in an Oct. 4 letter to Second Judicial District Administrative Judge Pam Honeycutt.
Brimhall was working in Hagood’s office at the time of his arrest earlier this year on a felony charge of aggravated assault on a family member or household member. In September, he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of misdemeanor harassment.
He is scheduled to be sworn in as a circuit judge in early 2025.
“We have a grave responsibility to advocate for the victims we represent and to protect the integrity of our justice system,” Hagood said in a letter to Honeycutt.
The prosecuting attorney said the victims his office serves and those it prosecutes “deserve fair and impartial justice.”
“Mr. Brimhall’s conduct raises serious concerns about his ability to meet these expectations,” Hagood said. “I believe complaints have also been filed with the Judicial Discipline and Disability Commission and the Office of Professional Conduct. However, it is unclear at this time what disciplinary action or restrictions he may face.”
Hagood requested that Brimhall be removed from presiding over cases involving the Second Judicial District Attorney’s Office, and that her office plans to file a motion to dismiss all cases brought against Brimhall. He added that there is.
Mr Hagood said he had no confidence that Mr Brimhall would be able to provide the public with “even the appearance of a fair and impartial judge” given his criminal conduct and actions.
“We are a self-regulating profession, and failing to address misconduct undermines the very principles of justice we are sworn to uphold,” Hagood said. “In my opinion, remaining silent on this issue is complicit in his actions.”
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