Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Former deputy pleads guilty
BENTONVILLE — Robert Michael Hendrix, a former Benton County Sheriff’s Office deputy and former Springdale police officer, admitted to accessing the Arkansas Crime Information Center for personal use.
Hendrix, 43, of Centerton pleaded guilty Thursday to a felony charge of releasing or disclosing the information to an unauthorized person, and misdemeanor tampering. He was arrested June 6.
Hendrix was fired from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, according to court documents.
The Arkansas Crime Information Center provided the Sheriff’s Office with a spreadsheet showing Hendrix used his law enforcement account 246 times to access personal information after he was fired, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Hendrix runs a company, One Twin Legal Services, which offers process serving and private investigations, according to court documents. Sheriff’s detectives learned Hendrix
was charging $100 to check a person’s background through a service called Justice Exchange, according to the affidavit. Justice Exchange is a law enforcement database linked with the state crime center and the National Crime Information Center, according to court documents.
Fayetteville police notified the Sheriff’s Office that Hendrix was using a Sheriff’s Office Justice Exchange account and Sheriff’s Office email address to gain access to the databases, according to the affidavit.
Hendrix’s account remained active and his email account wasn’t deactivated after he left the Sheriff’s Office, according to court documents. He admitted to using a computer and his cellphone to access Justice Exchange, the documents said.
The tampering charge involves Hendrix telling a witness to withhold information during the investigation, according to court documents.
Circuit Judge Brad Karren accepted the plea agreement and Hendrix’s guilty plea. He was placed on six years of state supervised probation with Act 346, which means his conviction can be expunged if he successfully completes his probation.
Hendrix must also do 120 hours of community service within the next three years.