Many want to be chief

Four current Pea Ridge police officers are among the 20 people -- 19 men and one woman -- who have submitted applications to the mayor's office seeking the job of chief of police.

Police Chief Tim Ledbetter announced his retirement effective Feb. 1. He was hired as chief of police April 11, 1995.

Pea Ridge Mayor Jackie Crabtree initially refused to release the applications, saying: "I will not give the applications to you."

He said he would release a list of names. After conferring with city attorney Howard Slinkard Monday morning, Crabtree released redacted applications. Marked out (redacted) on some, but not all, of the applications were personal addresses and phone numbers, work and personal e-mail addresses, Social Security numbers, date of birth, height and weight, as well as phone numbers for references. On one, personal information including age, physical condition and marital status were marked through.

Applications, listed here in alphabetical order by last name, have been received from:

• James A. Bacon, Springdale, retired in 2013 after 28 years of law enforcement including 13 years of combined service at rank of chief of police in Missouri and Arkansas, most recently in Nixa, Mo. (2006-2013)

• James H. Belden, Pea Ridge, currently a sergeant with the Benton County Sheriff's Office (since 2004), he has been a police officer for Fulton, Mo. (2001-2004), Siloam Springs, Ark. (1996-2000) and was a military police officer in the U.S. Army, Fort McClellan, Ala. (1987-1990).

• Raye Byford, Sante Fe, N.M., deputy chief, Santa Fe Police Department, retired, with 28 years of experience in law enforcement and 16 years of experience in management. His most recent employment was chief of police of the Tesuque Tribal Police Department, Sante Fe, N.M.

• Clifton Couch, Goodland, Kan., currently chief of police of Goodland. A former Marine, Couch was a deputy with the Leon County Sheriff's Office, Tallahassee, Fla. He spent two years as a school resource officer.

• Gerald W. Cummins, Middlesex, N.J., a former chief of police from 1983-1989 in Colts Neck, N.J., and was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve.

• Brandon Kurt Davis, Pea Ridge, currently a Pea Ridge Police officer, has been employed with the Marion County (2003-2005), Carroll County (2005-2009) and Benton County (2009-2014) sheriff's offices. He has been deputized as a special U.S. marshal and is trained as a detective. He served as Criminal Investigations sergeant for BCSO.

• John Wayne Davis, Jonesboro, Ark., has 14 years of law enforcement experience and 10 years of experience as a chief of police. He served as chief of police at Lepainto, Swifton and Joiner, Ark. He is currently self-employed in construction work.

• Clela R. Eggebrecht, Centerton, currently Pea Ridge Police sergeant, has worked for VAS, CENCON, Gravette police, Centerton police and as a certified law enforcement officer for Colorado Community Parole Division. She began working for Pea Ridge Police Department in 2010.

• Robert Jackson, Vicksburg, Miss., has 20 years of military law enforcement and 21 years of civilian law enforcement experience. He is currently the DHS investigator/special project officer for the Mississippi Department of Human Services. He is retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve.

• Mike Marler, Pea Ridge, currently police officer for Pea Ridge where he has been employed since 2008. He was the chief of police for Sulphur Springs from 2003-2007. He is a certified K-9 handler/trainer and a certified field training officer.

• Charles Bret McMahen, Magnolia, is a detective with the Magnolia Police Department. He served as a criminal investigator/deputy sheriff for Columbia County Sheriff's Office from 2004-2010 and has been employed with the Magnolia Police Department since 2012. He worked as a maintenance tech and was employed at Albemarle Corp. from 1985 to 2004.

• Richard L. Moore, Rogers, is currently a police officer for Bethel Heights where he has been employed since 2013. He previously worked for G.N. Contractors and was chief of police in Cave Springs from 2003-2011.

• Michael D. Morris of Lexington, Tenn., has 16 years of experience in law enforcement and has been chief of police in three small towns in Florida, Tennessee and Iowa.

• Robert Nearns Jr., is a sergeant with the Marvell Police Department. He was a deputy with the Phillips County Sheriff's Office from 2012-2013 and has been a detective-sergeant with Marvell since 2011.

• Eric B. Palmer of Bella Vista, currently a patrol sergeant for Bella Vista Police Department, has worked for the Forreston, Ill., Mount Morris, Ill., and Leaf River, Ill., police departments.

• James A. Rusterholz Jr., Bella Vista, assistant chief of police for Gravette, where he has been since 2013. He was a police officer for Eureka Springs from 2011-2013, the Air National Guard from 2002-2005, chief investigator for the state public defenders office in Bentonville from 2007-2009, Bentonville Police from 2001-2004, Crittenden County Drug Task Force from 1998-2001 and officer for the West Memphis Police Department 1996-1998.

• Todd S. Shannon, Springdale, is currently a police officer in Gravette and has worked for Tontitown Police Department, Perry County Sheriff's Office, Ola Police Department, Centerton Police Department (chief of police), Elm Springs Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office and U.S. Army Military Police.

• James K. Spurgeon, Yuma, Ariz., is currently chief of police of Lovelock Paiute Tribal Police Department and has served as chief of the Cocopah Police Dept. (2007-2013).

• Ryan Walker, Pea Ridge, is the lieutenant for the Pea Ridge Police Department where he has been employed since 2006. He is captain of the Pea Ridge Fire Department. He was employed by Guthrie Heating and Air and Locke Heating and Cooling Warehouse. He was certified as a law enforcement and radar instructor in the state of Arkansas in 2011.

• Johnny Weaver, Seiling, Okla., is the chief of police for the Seiling Police Department where he has been since January 2014. He has also worked for the Hope, Ark., Police Department (2001-2013) and Prescott Police Department (2010-2011).