Guilty, says battery suspect

BENTONVILLE — A jury deliberated for more than nine hours, but the case ended Thursday without a verdict on whether a Little Rock man battered a Benton County sheriff’s deputy.

That’s because, during the jury’s deliberations, prosecutors reached a plea agreement with attorneys for Rick Thomas Jones, 39, who had been charged with battery and faced up to six years in prison.

Jones agreed to plead guilty to attempted battery and resisting arrest. Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren sentenced him to one year of unsupervised probation and ordered Jones to complete an anger management program.

“I’ve been practicing since 1984, and I’ve never seen this happen before,” Karren said. “I’ve never seen a plea while the jury was deliberating.”

Jones was accused of kicking and biting the deputy at the jail after being arrested on a misdemeanor charge in October 2020. A deputy prosecutor told jurors two deputies hit Jones in self-defense during the scuffle, although he said Jones didn’t have any injuries.

The trial started Tuesday. The jury deliberated for several hours Wednesday but couldn’t reach a decision.

Karren stressed to the jury the importance of reaching a verdict. He then sent the jury home and ordered them to return Thursday morning.

The judge warned Jones his guilty plea would stand even if he learned the jury was going to acquit him of the battery charge.

“If the jurors come back and show their cards, you don’t get a redo,” Karren said.

Karren informed the jury that the case had been resolved with Jones pleading guilty. Some jurors shook their heads in agreement when the judge told them of Jones’ punishment. Karren thanked the panel for their service before releasing them.