Ward named chief deputy prosecuting attorney; Self resigns

Linda Ward is the first female to serve as chief deputy prosecuting attorney in Sebastian County, according to a Sebastian County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Shue.

Ward was promoted to the post after the resignation of Joey Self.

Self was named chief deputy on Jan. 1, 2009. Between 1990 and 2008, Self owned and operated Self Law Firm. Shue said in the statement that Self resigned to return to private practice.

Ward earned a juris doctorate from the University of Arkansas School of Law at Fayetteville in 1994, and was a member of the Arkansas Law Review. She has four years experience as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Sebastian, Crawford, and Saline counties and was engaged in the private practice of law in Fort Smith for 12 years.

She is a member of the Sebastian County Bar Association, the Arkansas Bar Association, the Sebastian County Republican Committee, the Fort Smith Rotary Club, and is a board member of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Sebastian County Inc. She is also a member of the Leadership Fort Smith Class of 2011.

“I believe Linda will be the first female Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney ever to serve in the history of Sebastian County,” Shue said in the statement. “Linda is hard-working, intelligent, and dedicated. In addition to assuming the duties of Chief Deputy, she will retain many of her current duties, which include making case assignments for Division VI, Judge Cox.”

Self was defeated by Fort Smith attorney Annie Powell Hendricks in the May race for Sebastian County Circuit Judge. The Division II position is held by Judge Harry Foltz, who is retiring at the end of his term. Hendricks received 8,752 votes compared to 7,313 votes for Self.