Sebastian County Sheriff not seeking reelection, endorses chief deputy

Sebastian County Sheriff Hobe Runion is not running for reelection, and is instead endorsing Chief Deputy John Miller in the March 2026 election. Assistant Jail Administrator Wyatt McIntyre recently announced he is running for the county’s top law enforcement job.

Runion, who was first elected sheriff in November 2018, said his two four-year terms will be enough. He began a law enforcement career in 1992 as a Lavaca patrol officer and joined the Sebastian County Sheriff’s department in 2000. Runion, 61, said in a brief interview Monday (April 14) that he may run for a legislative office after leaving the department.

He also said his endorsement of Miller came after talking to captains in the department about who was best to lead the department. Runion on April 7 promoted Miller to chief deputy.

“I said ‘Look, I’m not running again, and I want the person to have the best chance of winning,’” Runion said, adding the captains all agreed they “wanted one united front” to get behind and support.

According to the sheriff’s office, Miller began his career in 1997 as a Greenwood police officer and came to the sheriff’s office in 2001. Miller has worked in numerous leadership roles, including jail administrator.

Miller confirmed he is running, saying “there will be substantially more information that will follow in the near future” about his campaign.

McIntyre has been a lieutenant at the Sebastian County Adult Detention Center – jail – more than six years.

“I have dedicated almost 24 years to serving and protecting this community,” McIntyre noted in his campaign announcement posted April 10 on social media. “I have seen firsthand the challenges that come with being a sheriff, having served under three, all with their own ideas and values. I am ready to take the next step in ensuring the safety and trust our citizens deserve.”

McIntyre, along with Runion, were in jail leadership roles when Larry Price Jr. died while in custody at the jail. In August 2020, Price, who had a history of mental illness and had several interactions with law enforcement, entered a Fort Smith police station where he was alleged to be verbally threatening and pointed his fingers in the shape of a gun. He was charged with making terroristic threats and booked into the Sebastian County Jail with bail set at $1,000.

Unable to make bail, Price would remain in the jail, often in solitary confinement, for more than a year. He died Aug. 29, 2021. The details about his confinement and death garnered national headlines. Erik Heipt, the Seattle-based attorney who represented the Price family, hired Catherine Fontenot, a corrections officer from Louisiana, to review the case. She said Price’s treatment at the hands of Sebastian County officials and Turn Key Health was “cruel and inhumane.”

A lawsuit was filed Jan. 13, 2023, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas seeking a jury trial. Sebastian County and Turn Key Health Clinics, the company contracted to provide medical care at the jail when Price died, were named as defendants. The Sebastian County Quorum Court in August 2024 approved $3 million to settle the case, with Turn Key Health reportedly paying an additional $3 million.