Category Archives: Video

Community, Police Join Forces

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Across the nation, tensions continue to rise between law enforcement and community members. Officers in Jonesboro hope to avoid those situations by strengthening relationships with citizens. ASUTV News’ Kirsten May attended an event to bring them together and has more details about what people thought of it.

JONESBORO, Ark. — The event at City Water and Light Park on Cherry Street was just one of four National Night Out events held Oct. 4 in Jonesboro.

Several West End community members attended with their children and families to enjoy some time with local police officers.

Patrolman David Stout has been with the Jonesboro Police Department for nine years and says social events help residents see the person behind the badge.

“It brings people out and we get to interact with the community and they get to see us as human beings and not necessarily just in the cars that, you know, pull them over and have to go on calls and stuff like that and deal with them,” he said.

Sometimes it is hard to break that barrier with residents, Stout said, but it’s something the department pushes officers and new recruits to do.

“That’s one thing I try to impress upon the new guys. Get to know the people in your communities, get to know the people you deal with on a daily basis. Once you do you’ll be accepted more in the community and they’ll tell you stuff if they need to,” Stout said.

In 2015, 16,752 crimes were reported in Jonesboro, which is a 2 percent decrease from 2014. Officers and community members, like Jonathan Adams, both expressed hope that outreach events can help the number continue to decrease.

“I think they really do need to have something like this everywhere because it just brings everybody together. I mean, with all the violence that’s going on in the world, I think something like this once or twice, once or twice a month. I think it would be a good thing for everybody,” Adams said.

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Another outreach program the department offers is the citizen police academy, where community members can learn about procedures and different areas of law enforcement. They are currently in their fourth session of the program. Applications for the next session can be found at Jonesboropolice.com.

Sexual Predators Often Avoid Prosecution

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Out of every 1,000 rapes, very few ever lead to a conviction. That is partly because less than 350 are reported, leading to an average of 63 arrests, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Of those, only 20 percent of cases are referred to a prosecutor. ASU TV’s Kirsten May spoke with a prosecuting attorney to find out why those numbers are so low.

JONESBORO, Ark. — When a victim of sexual assault comes forward, they face many questions. If an arrest is made, the victim must decide with law enforcement if they want to press charges.

The prosecuting attorney for the second judicial district of Arkansas, Scott Ellington said that is not always a straightforward process.

“When it is a forcible rape where there is an unknown perpetrator, those are easier to prosecute. Because it’s a foreign situation,” he said.

Ellington said things can get more complicated when it is assault by a friend or acquaintance.

“Where is the level of consent? That is the primary issue is where is the level of consent. And those issues are looked at closely,” the prosecuting attorney said.

He said victims can decide not to press charges for various reasons, including the fear of going public with such a private violation.

“We do have cases where victims decide they would prefer not to prosecute, and understandably so, because generally they make a report and they maintain pretty much anonymity,” Ellington said.

A licensed professional counselor in administration at Mid-South Health Systems, Matthew Knight said some victims just cannot stand to keep retelling their story to lawyers, judges and jurors because they are just trying to move forward in their life.

“‘And I don’t think I want to go through the public part of this again, I will just heal with myself,'” he said victims tell themselves.

But Knight said, in his experience, those victims often get stronger and decide they do want to tell somebody.

“They don’t want that person who has been the perpetrator to continue to do that with other people,” he said.

Whether or not a person decides to follow through with charges, Ellington said there is one important thing to do as soon as you discover the assault.

“Collect the evidence, collect anything that might have DNA on it,” he said.

Ellington said time is very important because if a victim changes their mind a few days later, that evidence might already be gone.

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Ellington also said he understand victims are often scared or nervous while going through the prosecution process, so his office does have a designated victim-witness coordinator who visits with victims and helps them through the process.

Learn more about how the system helps sexual assault victims in this previous installment.

System Helps Sexual Assault Victims

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

A person is sexually assaulted every two minutes in the United States, which means an average of 288,820 victims face rape or sexual assault. A sexual assault occurred on Arkansas State’s main campus earlier this month. ASU TV News’s Kirsten May investigates how a sexual assault affects mental health.

JONESBORO, Ark. — Many sexual assault victims first end up in an emergency room where Dr. Brandon Lane works.

“First, as a physician, we will assess the patient from a physical standpoint to make sure they have no injuries,” Lane said.

Then, as long as the patient consents, St. Bernards Regional Medical Center Emergency Room doctors will begin the process of collecting evidence that could be used in a later criminal case.

“And then we will go ahead and take that evidence to the appropriate law enforcement agency,” Lane said. “If the patient wants us to, not by law. If the patient is agreeable to that. That’s the sticky point sometimes that we see here in the emergency room.”

Although doctors cannot always give evidence to police though Lane said they often want to, physicians can ensure the patient gets any other help he or she might need, like a referral to a therapist.

“Especially if the patient is by him or herself, so that we can get them to be supported early on in their care,” he said. “I think the main thing is to know that they are supported.”

Matthew Knight is a licensed professional counselor who is now in administration at Midsouth Health Systems. He said conveying “someone is there” is the most important thing to do for any trauma victim.

“That someone believes their story. That someone is in a sense in their corner or at least is listening to what they have to say,” he said.

Knight said for many victims, there are thoughts of guilt and self-doubt about what they could have done differently. He wants them to know this assault is not their fault and they don’t have to try and heal by themselves.

“There are probably a lot of woman who deal with this alone, who never told anybody else and just went home,” Knight said. “So I think that there are probably woman who this becomes their secret and secrets have so much power, particularly secrets that are kept about trauma.”

Knight said another difficult thing for victims to do is decide whether or not they want to press charges against the perpetrator.

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How difficult is it to prosecute sexual assault cases? Prosecuting Attorney Scott Ellington speaks with Kirsten May next week on ASU TV News.

N. Jonesboro Residents Disagree with Critics

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy A-State Department of Media

DeltaYou: Beau Jones

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By Rachel Moore
Delta Digital News Service

Paragould Man Keeps Blacksmithing Tradition Alive

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By Kirsten May
Delta Digital News Service

“Blacksmiths have been the foundation of society since the beginning of time.”

Lloyd Clayton works to keep a centuries-old tradition alive, despite the modern conveniences available to us today.

“Every trade revolved around the blacksmith. The blacksmith made all their tools. If it wasn’t for the blacksmith, the local communities would not thrive,” he said.

Clayton has been a farrier for 13 years. He spends his days working around Northeast Arkansas to trim and shoe horses’ hooves. He also travels across the country to compete in horseshoeing competitions.

“It’s opened my world up a lot. I’m close friends with people throughout the country and even worldwide,” he said.

After graduating from Oklahoma State horseshoeing school, Clayton worked with his mentor — Lonnie Lindsey — for four years. He’s now passing on what he knows to younger generations that come to work with him.

“A person is only able to do this for so long. So after so many years, your body’s not going to allow you to keep doing it. So you’ve got to bring new people up,” he said.

That includes his 9-year-old son Jasper, who loves to be in the shop with his dad.

“I get to work with him. I learn how to make horseshoes, knives and other things,” Jasper said.

“He says right now that he wants to continue it, but he’s really not old enough right now to do a lot by himself. So hopefully, he will continue that,” his mom said.

Clayton’s wife, Tera, said she thinks blacksmithing is good for him and she enjoys that he gets to travel and meet people who are as passionate as he is. Clayton is also part of a local blacksmith organization that teaches classes and informs people about the trade. They want people to understand how important it is to our history … and our future.

“They made everything. Everything that we needed was made by a blacksmith if it had metal in it. They were very, very important and they are still important today. We have new technology that allows us to do things easier to where you don’t have to do everything in the forge like they used to, but the blacksmith is still a very important part of society. And without the blacksmith, society wouldn’t make it,” Clayton said.

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