Searcy County Sheriff Kenny Cassell garnered 71% of the vote recently in his reelection bid, but the Arkansas Attorney General’s office may force him out of office.

A judge ruled in August of this year that Cassell could remain in office despite a 1979 guilty plea related to an incident involving the theft of Cornish game hens.  Judge David Clinger said in his ruling that the theft did not take place while Cassell was in office.  Therefore, the crime did not affect Cassell’s ability to serve as an elected official.

The Attorney General is appealing Clinger’s ruling saying that other recent rulings held that convictions of misdemeanor crimes involving elements of dishonesty constituted infamous crimes that disqualified offenders from holding office.