NEW FACES on circuit courts.

1 race goes to runoff; 3 district judgeships settled in county

FORT SMITH — The circuit court in Sebastian County received some fresh blood Tuesday with one race decided and another going to a runoff later this year.

Dianna Hewitt Ladd won the District 12, Division 7 seat, besting Sam Terry. In the District 12, Division 6 race, Greg Magness and Rita Howard Watkins moved into a runoff, with Phil Milligan finishing third.

With all 151 precincts reporting in both races, unofficial results showed:

CIRCUIT COURT, DISTRICT

12, DIVISION

6 Magness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,775

Watkins ............... 5,898

Milligan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,392

CIRCUIT COURT, DISTRICT

12, DIVISION 7

Ladd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,090

Terry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,137

Those elected to circuit judge positions serve sixyear terms. Those positions have a current yearly salary of $172,298.40, according to the state auditor’s office.

Ladd, 51, has served as prosecuting attorney for Arkansas district courts for the past 17 years, with her Facebook page stating she currently serves as the prosecuting attorney for South Sebastian County District Court. She was the city attorney for Waldron for about 12 years, and she has been Huntington’s city attorney since 2007.

Terry, 40, currently serves as a district judge in District 6, Fort Smith 2. He was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson on July 1.

Magness, 55, has been a practicing attorney with Hardin, Jesson, & Terry PLC for more than 25 years with a focus on business, commercial and banking law, according to his Facebook page.

Watkins, 47, has been a deputy public defender for the Sebastian County public defender’s office since January 2005. Before that, she worked for a sole practitioner in Oklahoma and two separate firms in Oregon.

The runoff between Magness and Watkins will be Nov. 3.

Milligan, 58, said he has been a practicing attorney in Fort Smith for about 28 years.

Tuesday also saw three state district court judgeships be determined in Sebastian County.

Amy Grimes beat incumbent Jim O’Hern for state District 6, Fort Smith 1 seat.

In the race for the state District 6, Fort Smith 2 position, Wendy Sharum gained a clear majority over both Jason Hunter and Just Josh Bugeja.

Incumbent Claire Borengasser staved off challenger Michael Gean Pierce for the state District 6, Fort Smith 3 seat.

The district judge serves a term of four years, with a current yearly salary of $150,761.10.

Grimes, 48, has worked as an administrative law judge for the Arkansas Workers’ Compensation Commission for almost nine years. O’Hern, 66, said during a Feb. 20 candidate forum that he has been on the bench for more than three years.

Sharum, 52, is currently in her 26th year as a Sebastian County deputy public defender. Hunter, 43, is a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Sebastian County prosecuting attorney’s office. Bugeja, 35, started his own law practice, the Bugeja Law Firm, in 2010.

Borengasser, 67, said she has served in her current position for 11 years. Pierce, 36, has been a practicing attorney for 11 years, his Facebook page states.

The winning candidates in these races will take office Jan. 1, according to the Administrative Office of the Courts.