Lawrence County Judge Dale Freeman dies from injuries related to auto accident

Dale Freeman had a vexing choice before him.

The Lawrence County native filed his paperwork to run for county judge, his dream job. There was only one problem. The man, in his early 40’s, had a family to support and he already had a high paying job with a railroad company. He didn’t run for judge that year, but more than 30 years later he was elected to the position in 2010.

He would end up holding that post until he took in his last breath.

Freeman, 75, died Saturday afternoon at a Little Rock area hospital, his daughter Tonya Brand told Talk Business & Politics. The judge had been in the hospital since a near-fatal car crash on U.S. 67 near Cabot on Aug. 10. Attempts to reach his wife, Mary, were unsuccessful.

“The only job I ever wanted was to be the judge in Lawrence County,” Freeman told a Talk Business & Politics reporter earlier this year. “I’ve been asked to run for other state offices, and I always refused. This is my passion in life.”

The judge was a popular figure in Lawrence County, winning his last three elected contests. He won a tough-fought Democratic Primary race in the spring, and was certain to win his fourth-term this fall. He had no general election opponent.

Who will replace the judge, and how that person will be selected is uncertain. A grieved community flooded social media sites with personal condolences.

“So sorry to hear this,” justice of the peace Lloyd Clark posted to Facebook. “thought he was doing better and moving closer to home. Prayers for his family and friends.”

Freeman broke his back and had to have at least two neck surgeries following his early morning crash. He was in a coma for weeks, and his prognosis appeared grim, according to his family. In recent weeks he’d rebounded considerably and was able to talk and walk. He was even able to conduct some county business such as signing contracts for the new jail.

The judge was slated to be moved to a hospital closer to home, possibly this upcoming week, but in recent days his health severely declined, according to published reports. His specific cause of death has not been released, and funeral plans have not been set.

POLITICAL RISE
A stalwart in the Democratic Party in Northeast Arkansas, Freeman spent many years as the mayor in Portia before ascending to the county’s top spot. He was close personal friends with former Arkansas governor and President Bill Clinton.

During his term as mayor, Freeman was able to procure $500,000 in grants to install a natural gas system in Portia. Many older residents couldn’t afford to buy natural gas stoves. He bought them with his own money.

He ran for county judge several times before he finally won the job in 2010. An historic flood ravaged the county in early 2011, and it took almost a year to repair the extensive road damaged caused by the waters.

“It was an eye opening experience … it showed me how tough this job is,” he said about the floods.

Through the years Freeman was famous for championing county worker pay increases, and he often fought with other elected officials about how the county should be run. It wasn’t uncommon for him to fill the Lawrence County courtroom with everyday citizens during Quorum Court meetings to voice their opinions. Freeman was cantankerous with JPs and got into many verbal brawls with them through the years.

More than once he explained to media members his sometimes divisive relationship with other elected officials wasn’t personal. He only wanted what was best for the county in his own mind, he stated numerous times.

A tireless worker, Freeman was notorious for showing up at the county road shop at 5 a.m. and traveling the county’s many gravel roads with the road crews throughout the day and conducting the administrative duties of his office late-night at the courthouse.

Freeman told a Talk Business & Politics reporter that this would likely be his last term in office. His age and a prevailing toxic political environment are hard to deal with, he said. But, he wanted to finish the new county jail, and rib his fellow elected officials awhile longer.

“I want to be able to say I left the county better the day I leave office than the day I took office,” he said previously.