Benton County prosecutors office could remain in courthouse

BENTONVILLE — Benton County prosecutors moved into renovated offices Monday, which could be permanent if a new courthouse is built downtown.

Nathan Smith, Benton County prosecutor, wants prosecutors to stay in the old Benton County Courthouse if a new one is built. Smith said the office should be in a new courthouse if it’s built near the jail on Southwest 14th Street.

Jay Saxton, Benton County chief public defender, said he prefers his office to be in any new courthouse, especially if it’s downtown.

Justice of the Peace Joel Jones, chairman of the Quorum Court Public Safety Committee, said he understands the prosecutor’s office would remain in the old courthouse if a new one is built downtown.

The prosecutor’s office is on the first floor of the courthouse. Deputy prosecutors and staff also have space on the second floor. There are four floors in the courthouse.

More office space will be available on the second floor once a courthouse is built and the Circuit Clerk’s Office and judges are moved, Smith said. That space would be enough to handle growth of the prosecutor’s office for years to come, he said.

The office would need at least one floor in a new courthouse and room for expansion, Smith said.

The Quorum Court has talked about a new courthouse building for years. Locations downtown and near the jail on Southwest 14th Street have been discussed.

The prosecutor’s office has been housed in the Massey Building just off the downtown square for 15 months while the office space in the courthouse was renovated. A $2.8 million grant from the Walton Family Foundation paid for the renovation. The grant also covered exterior work on the old courthouse.

The renovated office looks more professional, and the layout is more functional, Smith said.

The public defender’s office is in a portion of the old Benton County Health Unit on Southwest 14th Street. Saxton would prefer his office be part of any new courts building but said the need becomes less if South- west 14th Street is chosen because of the distance between the jail and the old heath unit.

Saxton talks to clients in crowded hallways but could take a client who isn’t incarcerated into a visiting room and discuss a case in private if the office was in a courthouse.

Jones wants the public defender’s office to be included in discussions about a new courts facility.

“I would like the architect groups to discuss each scenario concerning the public defender’s office,” Jones said.

He also wants the public defender’s office to be included in the design phase.

“If the public defenders want to be in the building, then we should try to put them in the building,” Jones said. “They are also part of the court system, like the judges and prosecutors.”