Gates seeks permission to travel out of state

State Rep. Mickey Gates, R-District 22, who is charged with six felony counts of failure to pay or file a tax return, asked the Garland County Circuit Court on Friday for permission to travel out of state as part of his business.

Gates’ motion for permission to travel notes that the conditions of his bond set at the time of his arrest require him to obtain prior permission of the court to travel outside the state of Arkansas.

“Gates’s business — the selling of knives with company logos which these companies then distribute to their customers — requires him to attend various conventions and trade fairs around the United States,” the motion said.

“Moreover, as a public official and public figure, Gates clearly is not a flight risk,” it said.

The motion notes that Gates has no objection to being required to notify the court before any out-of-state travel.

Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Dan Kemp signed an order Tuesday assigning Judge Brad Karren of the 19th West Judicial Circuit in Bentonville to the felony tax case of state Rep. Mickey Gates, R-District 22.

Circuit Judge Marcia R. Hearnsberger filed a letter of recusal in the case July 9, followed by Judges John Homer Wright, Lynn Williams and Wade Naramore.

Gates is set for a plea and arraignment in the case at 1 p.m. Oct. 2 in Garland County Circuit Court.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called on Gates to resign Tuesday, becoming the third prominent Republican to ask for Gates’ resignation since the charges were made public.

Hutchinson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that he had spoken privately with Gates about 10 days ago and asked him to resign.

“I listened to him, but I told him in my

judgment he needs to resign and it is my hope he would make that decision and listen to his colleagues,” the governor told the newspaper. “But it’s important for me to make it clear that my view is that he should resign.”

According to a criminal information filed with the circuit court by Special Prosecutor Jack McQuary on July 2, Gates is charged with six counts of failure to pay or file a tax return, a Class D felony punishable by a sentence of up to six years in the Arkansas Department of Correction along with a fine of up to $10,000.

Each count represents one year that Gates allegedly failed to file a return: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.