Pulse THE POLK COUNTY
FREE WEEKLY 1168 Hwy 71 S Mena, AR 71953 479.243.9600
Your DAILY News Sources: KENA 104.1 FM & MyPulseNews.com
All Aboard for America
INSIDE:
June 9, 2021
CRIME
Jury finds child molester guilty Stacked sentence puts abuser behind bars By Jeri Pearson
Lum & Abner
Page 12
Photo by Frank Wallace Booher, age 13. A patriotic Kansas City Southern engine passes the Mena Depot Monday evening. For more information about the engine see page 5
Farm Family
Page 10
County makes road, salary improvements By Jeri Pearson
Mason Breakfast
Page 13
Gains are being observed by Polk County Judge Brandon Ellison for county employees and county roads. Salary adjustments were recently approved by the Polk County Quorum Court and Ellison said the 3 percent raise for county employees is deserved. “We typically try to pass a cost of living raise when we feel like we can,” he said. “We generally wait till about March or April to discuss that, because the way county government budgets for the upcoming year, we have to project what we think we are going to get the coming year and budget accordingly.” State law only allows counties to budget 90 percent of anticipated revenue for the upcoming year and must be approved by the Quorum Court in December. “But you really don’t know what your carry over from the previous year is going to be,” Ellison explained.
See COUNTY continued on page 2
A jury suggested a stacked sentence for Michael McCormick, age 57 of Grannis, for Rape and Sexual Abuse in the First Degree last week. Judge Andy Riner moved forward with the jury’s recommendation and sentenced McCormick for 30 years and 20 years consecutively, after the jury deliberated for a swift 18 minutes. Prosecuting Attorney Jason Barrett and Chief Deputy Debra Buschman tried the case. “They did an outstanding job trying a very difficult case,” Polk County Sheriff Scott Sawyer said. “In this case the defendant was over the age of 18 the victim was under the age of 14 and touched various locations on the victim’s body, which is sexual abuse in the first degree,” Buschman explained and noted the case was sealed by Riner because the victim is a juvenile. “That means we can’t disclose facts about the case,” Buschman said. “The victim was very brave in his/her testimony and told his/her story to the jury.” Buschman said this was the first jury trial held in Polk County in several months due to COVID. “We are thankful to jurors who came out and restored the system to its full capacity,” Buschman said. McCormick will not be eligible for parole until after serving 70 percent of the rape and the sexual abuse in the first degree sentences, approximately in 2044.