Four nonpartisan candidates for judge for two local courts spoke at the Siloam Springs Republican Women's meeting on Monday.
The audience heard from David Bailey of Gravette and A.J. Anglin of Siloam Springs, who are vying to become judge of the Benton County District Court in Siloam Springs, as well as from Christine Howart of Bentonville and Toby Noblin of Rogers, who are running for the newly created judgeship in the Benton County Circuit Court.
Judge Stephen Thomas announced last year that he did not plan to seek re-election to the Siloam Springs District Court. Both Anglin and Bailey announced last spring their plans to run for the position.
On Monday, Anglin said he would like to apply his experience as a law enforcement officer, a deputy prosecuting attorney and a private practice attorney as district court judge.
Anglin is currently a member of the Rogers law firm Keith, Miller, Butler, Schneider & Pawlik PLLC and practices from a satellite office in downtown Siloam Springs, he said. He is a third generation resident of Siloam Springs, a graduate of Siloam Springs High School and John Brown University, and is currently raising his two children in Siloam Springs with his wife, he said.
Anglin started his career working the night shift in patrol on the Siloam Springs Police Department then worked his way up to become a detective. He graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law in 2003 and was sworn in as a deputy prosecutor the same day he turned in his badge and gun, he said.
He worked as deputy prosecutor for 15 years and prosecuted thousands of criminal cases, including one of the largest drug cases in Benton County, he said.
The circuit courts handle probate, divorces and felony cases, while the district courts handle civil cases and misdemeanors, Anglin said. Examples of misdemeanor cases could include driving while intoxicated or domestic violence, he said.
Anglin's experience would apply to DUI cases because he has made arrests and prosecuted cases in the past, he said. In the area of domestic violence, he would make sure a no contact order was put into place at the beginning of the case and maintained, he said.
As a judge, Anglin said he would be committed to truth and justice and treat all people with dignity and respect.
Bailey said that if he is elected judge he will create a night court for minor traffic offenses and a veterans treatment court.
Bailey has owned a private practice in downtown Siloam Springs for 23 years and has served as the town's deputy prosecutor for the past 18 years, he said.
"I've learned a lot working under Judge Thomas and he's been a great mentor to me as far as his compassion for people," Bailey said.
As a prosecutor, Bailey said he is tough on DUI. A few years ago, he found drunk drivers in Siloam Springs were getting off of their charges because of a loophole in the law related to neighboring states. Bailey said he worked with state Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-District 87) and state Senator Jim Hendren to close the loophole.
Bailey said he has seen a community drug problem, which leads to an increase in domestic violence cases in court. He echoed Anglin's comments about no contact orders and promised to hold abusers accountable.
He presented several strategies for saving taxpayer dollars, including using community service for nonviolent offenders rather than jail time, so that offenders can be productive in society instead of getting free meals in jail.
In addition, Bailey said he is a fluent Spanish speaker, a skill he has used as prosecutor and will continue to use if elected judge. It is not only important for people to be able to communicate with the court, speaking Spanish also saves tax money because the court will not have to hire a translator to be available for 40 hours a week, he said.
Bailey said he plans to implement a night court because he doesn't think it's fair to ask people to miss work, miss a paycheck or risk their job for minor traffic infractions.
Bailey said he is passionate about creating a veterans treatment court and plans to put the pieces in place so he can start it on day one of his judgeship.
"I want to get them treatment rather than punishment," Bailey said. "That saves taxpayer dollars because we can get veterans back to being productive members of society like we know they can be because they have already served our country."
Circuit Court candidates
A seventh judgeship was added to the Benton County Circuit Court during last year's legislative session, and both Howart and Noblin filed for the position.
Howart, who is a Nebraska native, said she has had her own practice in Northwest Arkansas for 25 years and spent the past 20 years focusing on domestic and family law.
Howart said she will strive to treat people fairly every day.
"One of the most important things I could do as a judge is take care of the innocent, and that is children," she said.
Noblin said he started his career in the U.S. Air Force, before moving up the ranks at the Rogers Police Department. While working as a police officer, he went back to college and graduated from law school in 2003.
Noblin said his experience as an attorney is very well-rounded, including civil, probate, real estate and all subject matters the circuit court hears.
"The culmination of my life experience has brought me to this place today and I feel my life experience lends itself to this position," he said.
The election is March 3 and early voting begins on Feb. 18. Runoffs will be on the general election ballot in November.
General News on 01/26/2020