Mansfield Police officer, Eric Townley, has been terminated amid an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).
The Mansfield Police Department issued the following statement:
MANSFIELD POLICE DEPARTMENT
During an internal investigation, it was found that 2 handguns were missing from the office of the Police Chief. Chief Wyatt McIntyre reached out to the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office for assistance. The Sebastian County Investigator found that the handguns were pawned at a local pawnshop on October 17th by a Mansfield Police Officer. The investigation was formally turned over to the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office at this time. The officer was brought in and formally placed on paid suspension by Chief McIntyre pending the outcome of the investigation.
During his interview with the Sheriff’s Office, the officer admitted to taking the guns and pawning them along with his personal handgun that he used while on duty. He also admitted to calling dispatch and having a dispatcher run the handguns on Arkansas Crime Information Center (ACIC) to ensure they were not stolen. After his interview, the officer was brought back to the Police Department and his employment was terminated.
Warrants have been issued for 2 counts of theft by receiving and 1 count of misuse of ACIC, which are all felony charges.
The officer is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Additional information will be provided once the full report from the Sebastian County Sheriff’s Office becomes available.
