Crawford County JP stopped for DWI

story by Marla Cantrell
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Crawford County Quorum Court member DeWite Deshazo was arrested by Van Buren police on June 17 for suspicion of DWI.

The police report states Deshazo submitted to two breathalyzer tests, each of which registered 0.15. The legal limit in Arkansas is 0.08.

The justice of the peace was stopped just before midnight at Cloverleaf Plaza in Van Buren, after an officer observed him driving 44 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Deshazo, according to the report, initially denied drinking. However, the officer noted he smelled alcohol in the cab of his pickup and said Deshazo’s eyes were bloodshot.

After a series of field sobriety tests, the officer removed a knife Deshazo carried in his left front pocket and put him in the squad car. The JP reportedly revised his story on his way to jail, when he admitted he’d earlier had a “few beers” at the Rib Room in Fort Smith.

The two breathalyzer tests, registering 0.15 each, were administered after Deshazo had been at the Crawford County Jail for 20 minutes. It is his first DWI offense. His occupation on the report is listed as owner of the Double D Dairy.

Democrat Deshazo, 45, of Rudy, has served two terms and is running unopposed on the November ballot. He would not talk about the hours before his arrest, or why he got behind the wheel after drinking.

“I made a mistake,” Deshazo said. “It’s never happened before and it will never happen again.”

Deshazo serves constituents in District 10, which covers the central part of the county — specifically the Oliver Springs community; Rudy and the nearby 88 community; and part of Alma. He has no plans of dropping out of this fall’s election.

“I will stay on the ballot,” he said.

Crawford County Judge John Hall said Monday he had not heard about the arrest. However, he did say the Quorum Court members should  be fully aware of the consequences of bad behavior.

“I don’t have any authority over this,” Hall said. “He’s an elected official and it’s between him and the public. … We’re servants of the people. They look up to us and we’re supposed to act accordingly. … I tell people and I tell people and I tell people, if you’re going to consume alcohol, either have somebody drive you or stay home.”

Speaking about Deshazo’s job performance, Hall added, “He’s done a great job for us.”

The 13 members of the Quorum Court meet once a month. They are paid $333.33 for each scheduled monthly meeting they attend; however, if follow up meetings are required, they do not receive additional pay. They also receive mileage at a rate of 42 cents per mile.

The Quorum Court appropriates all the money in the $15.5 million budget, and passes the county’s laws and ordinances.

Only one Quorum Court member, Democrat Sharon Partain, who serves District 1, is facing an opponent, Republican Terri Bibbs, in this year’s election. There are also two open seats in Districts 2 and 3.