Deputy accused of having ATV stolen for him
Thief alerts FBI; arrest follows
An Arkansas lawman is accused of extorting a confidential informant into stealing an ATV, according to documents filed Wednesday in federal court.
Charles David Chastain, who worked as an unpaid deputy with the Arkansas County sheriff’s office, was arrested on Tuesday in Stuttgart shortly after taking possession of three supposedly stolen rifles he asked the informant to find, according to a federal affidavit written by an FBI special agent.
An arrest warrant states that Chastain was arrested on accusations of interference with commerce by threats or violence, “specifically, extortion under color of official right.”
After he was taken into custody, Chastain, a former Arkansas State Police trooper, told authorities that he used his law enforcement status to coerce a confidential informant and another person to illegally take the all-terrain vehicle, according to the court documents. The affidavit did not specify whether the second person took part in the theft.
Chastain admitted accepting the ATV and said he intended to have it “for his sole, personal use,” according to the affidavit.
Authorities say Chastain, who turned 47 years old Wednesday, also admitted to telling the informant to “locate stolen firearms or steal firearms for his personal benefit and use.”
Chastain was listed on the Pulaski County jail’s inmate roster Wednesday afternoon.
An arrest report listed his name as “David Charles Chastain” and listed an FBI special agent and an Arkansas State Police official as the arresting officers.
“This law enforcement officer was placed in a position of public trust, and will be held accountable for any abuse of that trust,” U.S. Attorney Cody Hiland said in a statement. “Any allegations of this sort will be thoroughly investigated and taken extremely seriously.”
Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright said Chastain began working for the agency around Jan. 1 and served as an auxiliary deputy, which means he was unpaid. He said Chastain is now on suspension from the agency pending the criminal investigation.
“He was one of the best narcotics officers,” Wright said in an interview Wednesday, mentioning that Chastain seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to the job.
Wright said he was in disbelief when he heard the
news that the deputy had been arrested by the FBI.
“[It] never crossed my mind that anything like that would happen,” he said.
The federal affidavit, obtained Wednesday, states that Chastain, working as a special investigator in Arkansas County, was affiliated with the Tri-County Drug Task Force and operated confidential informants “to develop drug cases in Arkansas County and surrounding areas.”
According to the affidavit, a confidential informant for Chastain contacted the FBI earlier this month and accused Chastain of pressuring the informant and another person into stealing the ATV.
The documents said the two were working for Chastain “in an effort to reduce their charges or sentence,” but worried the deputy would “diminish or refuse to give them credit for their previous cooperation” if they did not go through with his demands.
The informant also reported that Chastain was propositioning the other person involved for sex.
According to the documents that were filed in court Wednesday, the informant stole the ATV from a duck-hunting club last month at Chastain’s request, then delivered the vehicle to Chastain’s shop in Stuttgart.
On Dec. 13, the informant delivered the remaining ATV accessories to Chastain and worked on the vehicle with the deputy, according to the documents.
Later that same day, the documents said, FBI agents were given screen shots of texts between the informant and Chastain in which the deputy asked about getting stolen firearms in “good condition” or “fitting of [Chastain’s] gun collection.”
In response to the request, the informant later texted Chastain a photo of three rifles, according to the affidavit. The documents said Chastian asked for the price on all three firearms and said he wanted them.
The affidavit also included a text message Chastain sent to the informant on Dec. 16.
“Man getting that thing is probably the only thing I have really done wrong in my life. Y’all take care of me I will take care of y’all,” the text message read. “As long as y’all don’t do anything stupid y’all are golden. Just don’t do anything without me knowing about it ahead of time.”
Days later, the informant agreed to sell Chastain three rifles for $300, since they were “purported to be stolen.” Instead, the firearms were provided by the FBI and the Arkansas State Police.
Chastain met with the informant, took possession of the rifles and shortly afterward was taken into custody by authorities, the affidavit said.
State police officials and the FBI also searched Chastain’s shop on Bob Davis Road, where they found the stolen ATV.
Authorities said Chastain admitted taking the firearms but “claimed he was going to run them through national databases and enter them into evidence because they were fully automatic.”
“[Chastain] stated had the firearms been semiautomatic, [he] would have kept them for his personal benefit and use,” according to the affidavit.