Prosecutors, courts to blame for tragedy

With regard to the people accused of killing the officer in Pea Ridge I made the following observations: The prosecuting attorneys in both Washington and Benton counties caused this to happen.

Look at the criminal record and sentencing of the female. December 2018, sentenced to 36 months supervised probation on a drug conviction. January 2019, sentenced to 72 months probation on a drug conviction. Later in 2019, she was sentenced to 96 months’ probation after pleading guilty to burglary and theft. December 2019, arrested again on a drug charge. January 2020, she was charged with theft of property and credit card fraud. In January and February of this year, she was charged in Washington County with theft by receiving.

Come on! She was obviously not learning the lesson, yet the prosecutors continued to give her probation. Now, while on multiple probations she and the man with her were on the loose in Pea Ridge. The result of the Pea Ridge Police Department doing its job was the death of an honorable career police officer, Kevin Apple.

My opinion, as a retired Benton County criminal investigator, is she was given way too many free passes. No excuse for it. She should have been in jail when this happened. I blame it squarely on the shoulders of the prosecutors. This never should have happened. Shame on all of them. And shame on the courts that went along with it. You people need to start doing the job we citizens expect you to do. There is no excuse for this kind of pansy prosecution.

GUY HOWE

Bella Vista