Know Your Community: Courage Award Recipient Vickie Price

The following was the speech given by Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County's Courage Award recipient Vickie Price. I asked her if I could use the speech she gave at the award dinner to honor her in my Know Your Community segment of my blog. She obliged. Thank you, Vickie. You are a blessing to have in this community. Northwest Arkansas is blessed by you. Thank you for being you. 

COURAGE

According to Wikipedia Courage is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty or intimidation. I have my own definition of courage. Please allow me to share.

It was 1996. The first time I saw Courage was a 10 year old little girl who told that "her daddy had been touching her." Courage was rising above the fear of losing her mother and her brothers after being told she would never see them again if she did tell. Courage was taking that chance. My daughter, DesaRae was that 10 year old little girl. Her courage saved her brothers and I from what would have become worse sooner rather than later. We were not blessed with having the Children's Advocacy Center of Benton County (CAC) in 1996. Desi did have some counseling but the family did not. We stood strong, however and were survivors.

Fast forward to 2011. Courage was a little girl 5 years old. The first sign of her courage came when she, with the help of the CAC, bounced back from abuse by her father and step-mother while in their care. They had chained her to a dresser during the nights. They would use the feeble excuse "so she couldn’t get up." That was my introduction to the CAC. Not only did I watch that little girl stay strong, I saw her heal completely. The principle of her kindergarten class said he would never have known. With courage she opened her heart knowing she would be ok just like her mother did back in 1996. Her name is Jersey. The CAC won her heart along with mine, her mother, and the entire family. That is when I became a volunteer. I wanted to help. I knew children could be saved. I had witnessed it first hand! I was excited to make a difference. Jersey was a survivor.

A couple weeks shy of the one full year of Jersey's recovery, she was taken from us - forever. It was 2012. She was 6 years and 6 days old. For anyone who doesn't know Jersey's story, a trusted man, the babysitters husband, now sits on death row for her rape and murder. My granddaughter will not bounce back. The CAC cannot help her. Where is this courage? That word was not one that I would have used to describe myself. I was destroyed along with her mother, her Pepaw, her little sister, and her aunts and uncles.

But Courage, yet again, would show itself. Not once or twice but many times over I would see it. For the third time my daughter was caught up in the same nightmare of abuse. She had lost her child. What would she do? Curl up and die? Believe me, it was considered. It took courage to live. To survive. To get up and take care of business and to be a Mom to the daughter she had left.

And that brings me to yet another little one who would show courage. Leah - she was 10 days shy of being 3 years old. She slept with Jersey every night. She was too little to talk much and could not explain what had just happened. When Jersey was removed from the bed they shared she climbed in her momma's bed. Her momma thinking she had awakened from a dream pulled her close and they fell asleep. It would be the last time Leah would see the sister that she loved so very much.

The CAC once again was there. Immediately, Leah was in counseling. 2 1/2 years would go by before she would "graduate" from their care. She will be six in November. She still talks about her sister and speaks outwardly about missing her. She knows Jersey is in heaven. Leah is a survivor.

People would say to us "I don’t know how you do it. You are so strong."

I'm not the one with courage. That belongs to all these children the CAC helps. I am driven by my desire to help stop anyone from feeling the loss that I still feel. I am driven by seeing first hand what the CAC can do! We have lived it from the lowest degree of sexual assault to the highest degree. I am willing to do anything to help stop it. My heart is broken. I do this because I want to, I need to, and my passion for it outweighs my broken heart.

I accept this Courage award for every single child who cannot receive this for themselves. For my then 10-year-old Desi, my 6-year-old angel in heaven, Jersey, my now 5-year-old granddaughter, Leah, and every single child who remains nameless. 

Vickie Price

September 17, 2015

Arkansas House Column 9-19-2015

A Friendly Word from Your State Representative:

College should be hard, but going to college should be easy. That's the motto of eVersity, the newest member of the University of Arkansas system which was established during the Regular Session with Act 306. Over 100 Arkansans have already signed up to go back to college since it began accepting  applications a little over a week ago. At $165/credit hour, the tuition price is the full price. There are no additional fees or required text books. And you pay as you go, so you don't have to worry about a large, upfront cost.

      

      Students focus on one course every six weeks.  With seven start dates per year, back to school can happen in any season. It is designed to find a way to fit college into a busy schedule. The program is targeted to those who have some college but did not complete their degree. Right now the average age of the applicant is 37 years old.

      

      To make enrollment easier, staff with eVersity can do the work for you when it comes to finding your old transcript.  In the application process you are asked if you wish to give staff permission to get your transcript.

    

      Course work includes competencies such as problem solving and leadership skills to help graduates develop skills attractive to businesses.  For example if you graduate with a degree, your transcript will not only show your major but may show that you had 15 hours of course work that concentrated heavily on creativity.The mission of eVersity is to provide and accessible and affordable online education relevant to the modern workplace.

     

       We look forward to hearing the progress of students who are taking advantage of this opportunity. For more information go to www.eversity.uasys.edu.

Know Your Community: Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith

Prosecuting Attorney

of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit West

The Prosecuting Attorney is responsible for all criminal prosecution of state crimes in Benton County and represents Benton County and the Quorum Court on all civil matters

• Several thousand cases are prosecuted annually in both Circuit and District courts.
• The Prosecuting Attorney's Office is comprised of 18 attorneys working several divisions.
• The Prosecuting Attorney's Office divisions include: Felony, Juvenile, and district court.
• Additionally, the Prosecuting Attorney has several specialized divisions including: Hot Checks, Child Abuse, Victims' Advocates, and Domestic Violence. To contact your Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Smith he can be reached at: painfo@BentonCountyAR.gov
  

Arkansas House Weekly Column 9-15-2015

It is estimated that 46,000 Arkansans are in recovery for substance abuse and 23 million are in recovery nationwide.
     September is National Recovery month.  It has been observed for over 25 years to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery, just as we would celebrate any health improvement.
Millions of lives have been transformed through recovery.  Since these success often go unnoticed, Recovery Month provides a time to celebrate these accomplishments.
     Investing in recovery has positive cost benefits for our state.  The treatment of alcohol and substance abuse has been shown to reduce drug use by 50%, crime by 80%, and arrest by 64%.  Studies also find improvement in employment.
     The 90th General Assembly passed measures to expand access to recovery programs for inmates who are eligible for parole.
     The recidivism rate in our correctional facilities was at 43%.  Part of our Criminal Justice Reform Act includes substance abuse treatment in re-entry facilities.  Our Criminal Justice Task Force has also been studying various drug treatment programs for their overall success.
     Recovery emerges from hope.  The belief that recovery is real provides a motivating message of a better future.  This observance during September reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.
Although we are seeing more and more people seeking help, statistics tell us that less than 25% of those dealing with substance abuse get treatment.
     If you or someone you know needs help, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).  The hotline is operational 24/7 and can help you find locate a treatment facility.

Bring Our Missing Children Home

September 11, 2015

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the 2016 Child Safety Poster Contest, which is open to all Arkansas students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Preparation and creation of the posters gives parents and teachers an opportunity to explain the many dangers they face and teach students strategies to stay safe. The 2015 contest saw a record number of participants with more than 1,100 students from across the state, and Rutledge hopes that number increases next year.

“It seems like every day there is a new and growing danger threatening our children,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “I am especially proud to sponsor this program because it teaches our children, in an interactive way, how to avoid danger and remain safe. Last year’s entries were beautiful, informative and thoughtful, and I look forward to seeing what thousands of talented Arkansas students will produce this year.”

2015 1st place winner, 4th grade, Magness Creek Elementary in Cabot

Students are asked to incorporate this year's theme of “Bring Our Missing Children Home.” The postmark deadline for entries to be received at the Attorney General’s Office is Jan. 20. Judging will take place in February, and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in April.

The winning poster from the fifth grade will be entered into the National Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest, hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Contest rules and the entry form can be found at ArkansasAG.gov, or call the Attorney General’s Office Community Engagement Department at (501) 682-1020 for more information.

Weekly Legislative Update

It is estimated that 46,000 Arkansans are in recovery for substance abuse and 23 million are in recovery nationwide.

September is National Recovery month.  It has been observed for over 25 years to celebrate the gains made by those in recovery, just as we would celebrate any health improvement.

Millions of lives have been transformed through recovery.  Since these success often go unnoticed, Recovery Month provides a time to celebrate these accomplishments.

Investing in recovery has positive cost benefits for our state.  The treatment of alcohol and substance abuse has been shown to reduce drug use by 50%, crime by 80%, and arrest by 64%.  Studies also find improvement in employment.

The 90th General Assembly passed measures to expand access to recovery programs for inmates who are eligible for parole.

The recidivism rate in our correctional facilities was at 43%.  Part of our Criminal Justice Reform Act includes substance abuse treatment in re-entry facilities.  Our Criminal Justice Task Force has also been studying various drug treatment programs for their overall success.

Recovery emerges from hope.  The belief that recovery is real provides a motivating message of a better future.  This observance during September reinforces the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people can and do recover.

       Although we are seeing more and more people seeking help, statistics tell us that less than 25% of those dealing with substance abuse get treatment.

If you or someone you know needs help, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).  The hotline is operational 24/7 and can help you find locate a treatment facility.

A Consumer Alert from Your Attorney General Courtesy of the House of Representatives

Consumer Alert: Staying Safe on Social Media
September 02, 2015

LITTLE ROCK – When used appropriately, social media sites are an enjoyable and effective way to keep in touch with friends and family. But there are potential dangers associated with these sites, including online predators. Social networking sites can provide a false sense of security for users who ignore the risks in making connections online.

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued today’s consumer alert to provide online safety tips to Arkansans to keep everyone and their personal information safe.

“Online social networking has become an everyday way of life,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “All Arkansans, but particularly teens, need to be made aware of the downfalls of social media. Parents and families must explain proper Internet habits and uses. This requires moms and dads, aunts and uncles and grandparents to get smart online.”

Attorney General Rutledge released the following tips for parents and families to keep their teens and children safe online:

• Keep tablets, laptops and cell phones in a shared area of the house with frequent foot traffic so that responsible household members can monitor times of use and materials viewed.
• Establish guidelines about the use of these devices, as well as an open dialogue on what is acceptable online behavior.
• Be aware of what Internet sites are frequented by children and teens. Blocking or screening services are available through Internet service providers or by purchasing software.
• Consider how different social networking sites operate before deciding if a child should join. Some sites allow only specific age groups or a defined community of users to access posted content, while others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.
• Remind teens that once information is posted online, it cannot be removed. Even if information is deleted from a site, older versions can continue to exist on other sites. Helping to keep control over posted information by restricting access to a select group of people is advisable.
• Warn children to be wary of friends they know solely online and never give out their telephone number, home or school address or other personal information.
• Discuss the dangers of meeting new online friends in person, and encourage them to share with a trusted adult if an online friend’s behavior seems strange.
• Review the privacy policy and terms of usage for sites that require registration of personal information such as email addresses. Select the highest privacy settings available, and avoid social networking sites that do not allow users to control access to postings.

Social networking sites have exploded in popularity in the past decade. According to a Pew Research survey last month, Facebook reports that 72 percent of U.S. adults who are online are active users, meanwhile 23 percent are on Twitter, 28 percent are on Instagram and 18 percent are on Snapchat. Snapchat is reported to be the fastest growing social media platform especially among children, teens and young adults. 

For more information on Internet and social media safety and other consumer-related issues, call the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office at (800) 482-8982 or visit ArkansasAG.gov or facebook.com/AGLeslieRutledge.

Please Remember the Victims

This is a picture of my 12-year-old daughter, Andi who was kidnapped, raped and strangled on May 15th 1999. Her killer, Karl Douglas Roberts, resides on Arkansas' Death Row where he continues to appeal his sentence.  There is no question of guilt in this case, just a continuance of manipulation by this man. The system is on his side. He is not on Arkansas' "short list" of eight names, but one day he will run out of appeals. One day he will have to face what he has done. One day he will have to meet his maker. In the mean time, I will continue to fight for the victims of this great state. Sadly, the work will probably never be done, I will continue to fight until my own dying breath. I have digressed from the point of this post, please read on. 

    Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has asked Governor Asa Hutchinson to set execution dates for eight death row inmates who have exhausted their appeals. By now, hopefully, everyone knows how I feel about crime victims, their rights, their families, and certainly, the death penalty in these capital cases, but I wanted to write a blog post to let my constituents and the citizens of Arkansas know what these eight death row inmates have done to land them in Arkansas' Supermax prison. 

     When I read the facts of each of these cases I knew that these men were on death row for several reasons. First, they put themselves there. In life we are all faced with choices. These men deliberately took the lives of their victims in a brutal, heinous manner. They made the choice to do what they did and with choices there are consequences. Second, they have hurt a lot of people and when I say that I do not say it lightly, when a loved one is murdered it is as though your heart is ripped straight out of your chest, no easy way to say it. Third, a jury convicted these men of capital murder with a punishment of death...some over two decades ago. Who are we as a society to say what these juries have recommended is null and void because some bleeding heart feels differently? 

     Anyway, I will let you read the crimes and read the names of the victims and come to your own conclusion. As for me, I will always side with the innocent and never with the monsters who brutally wreak havoc on our society. 

VICTIM: -Mary Phillips- no image available

Jack Jones: Convicted and sentenced to death for raping and murdering a bookkeeper and beating her 11-year-old daughter. Jones was convicted in 1996 of capital murder, rape and criminal attempt to commit murder in the killing of Mary Phillips and the beating of her daughter, Lacy. On June 6th, 1995, 34-year-old Mary Phillips and her daughter, Lacy, were at a Bald Knob accounting office when Jones entered the office and robbed them. Lacy lost consciousness and was left for dead. When she awoke, police were taking photographs of her. Mary Phillips was found nude from the waist down with a cord from a nearby coffee pot wrapped around her neck. She also had been hit about the head and had bruises on her arms and back.   

VICTIM: - Rebecca Doss- no image available

Bruce Ward: Convicted in 1990 of the 1989 capital murder of eighteen-year-old Rebecca Doss and sentenced to death by lethal injection. Doss was a clerk at a Jackpot Inc. convenience store working the overnight shift. Ward was arrested when a police officer had stopped because the store was open but he could not see a clerk inside. He stopped Ward after seeing him walking away from the restrooms toward a motorcycle and arrested him after finding the body. Raped and strangled.

VICTIM:- Jane Daniels- no image available

Don William Davis: Committing a series of burglaries, Don William Davis broke into the Rogers home of Jane Martha Daniel, 62, on Oct. 12, 1990. Using a .44 caliber Magnum revolver he had stolen earlier, he shot her once in the head in a storeroom in her house. Richard Daniel found his wife dead in the basement when he returned home that night from a business trip. Davis was arrested in New Mexico after his roommates went to the police with their suspicions about his involvement. Most of the stolen objects were recovered and traced back to Davis.

VICTIM: -Stacy Errickson- 

Marcel Williams: On November 20, 1994, Stacy Errickson, the victim, on her way to work, stopped at the Jacksonville Shellstop for gas. The time was approximately 6:45 a.m. Williams approached Errickson's vehicle, drew a firearm, and forced her to move from the driver's seat to the passenger's side. Williams then drove Errickson's car away from the convenience store. Williams then took Errickson to several automated teller machines and coerced her to attempt withdrawals. A total of eighteen transactions yielded the sum of $350. The last transaction occurred at 7:37 a.m. These transactions were recorded by security cameras at several banking facilities. Stacy Errickson did not make it to work that day, nordid she pickup her child from the babysitter at the end of the day.Police arrested Williams on an outstanding warrant on November 29, 1994, and questioned him based on physical evidence linking him to two other assaults on women. During the course of an intensive interrogation lasting some thirteen hours, Williams admitted having abducted Errickson from the convenience store and robbing her through ATM withdrawals. However, he denied any sexual assault and assured the officers that to the best of his knowledge Errickson was alive. Appellant attempted to implicate others as accomplices asserting that they were the ones responsible for physically harming her. Based upon information Williams supplied, the police recovered a sheet matching Williams description as one he used in connection with the abduction and also recovered a gold ring which Williams identified. On December 5, 1994, police discovered Stacy Errickson's body buried in a shallow grave. Other evidence adduced at trial indicated that witnesses Tammy Victoria and Tammy Keenahan identified Williams as a man they had seen on the morning of November 20, 1994, at the Shellstop. They also testified that after they left the station he followed them in a car and attempted to stop them until they sought refuge at the air force base. Williams subsequently returned to the Shellstop and abducted Stacy Errickson.

VICTIMS: -Cecil Boren- no image available

-Dominique Hurd- 

Kenneth Williams: Williams received a death sentence for the October 3, 1999 slaying of 57-year-old Cecil Boren after Williams broke out of the Cummins Unit at Varner. He had been serving a sentence of life without parole in the slaying of University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff cheerleader Dominique "Nikki" Hurd. Williams was sentenced to death on August 30, 2000.

VICTIM: -Scott Stobaugh-

Terrick Nooner: At approximately 1:30 am on March 16, 1993, Scott Stobaugh, a college student, was washing clothes at the Funwash Laundromat on West Markham street in Little Rock. An assailant, in an apparent robbery attempt, shot Stobaugh seven times in the back at close range with a .22-caliber pistol, causing his death. A surveillance camera captured a portion of the incident on videotape. The videotape showed the assailant and Stobaugh as Stobaugh raised his hands. Nooner took $20 and a checkbook.Two witnesses identified the person on the Laundromat video as Terrick Terrell Nooner, by clothing and appearance. Other testimony and ballistics evidence tied Nooner to the murder weapon. A Pulaski County Circuit Court jury convicted Nooner of capital murder.

VICTIM: -John Melbourne- no image available

Jason McGehee: Convicted by a Boone County jury on January 9, 1998, of capital murder and kidnapping in the August 1996 death of John Melbourne, Jr., 15. McGehee, then 21, was the leader of a group of six friends — teens and young adults — who lived together in a house in Harrison and survived by cashing stolen and forged checks. On August 19, 1996, McGehee sent Melbourne, the youngest of the group, into Harrison to cash a stolen check. The boy attracted the suspicion of a store manager who alerted police, who questioned Melbourne and released him into his father’s custody after he told the officers about stolen property at the house. The other residents, angry that Melbourne had “snitched,” later lured him to the house, where they beat him. The group then bound his hands and took him to an abandoned house in Omaha, where they beat him again, cut him and burned him. Finally, McGehee and two others took turns strangling him until he died.

VICTIM: - Carol Jean Heath- 

Stacey Johnson: On the morning of April 2, 1993, a friend discovered Carol Heath’s body in the living room of Heath’s apartment in DeQueen, Arkansas. When the police removed Heath’s two children from the home, Ashley Heath, then six years old, told Heath’s friend that a man had broken into the home during the night. Ashley was interviewed by Arkansas state police investigator Hayes McWhirter a few hours later. Ashley told McWhirter that a black male with “a girl sounding name” had come to the house during the night. Ashley said that the man, who was wearing a green shirt and sweater, told Heath that he had just been released from jail, and said that the man was mad at Heath for dating another man, Branson Ramsey. Ashley said that after her mother and the man fought, she saw her mother on the floor bleeding, and that the man was next to her mother, holding a knife. Carol Heath had been beaten, strangled, and had her throat slit in front of her two young children, Ashley, age six, and Jonathan, age two. 

Yeah, I know, disgusting. I feel very, very empathetic for these families. I hope they find peace one day. I really do. 

The LORD bless you, and keep you:

The LORD make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you:

The LORD lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace.

Number 6:24-26