OSCEOLA, Ark. — JuLaiasha Spears was at her home in Osceola on Monday when one of her kids alerted her that a fight was going on behind the house. Spears began videoing, which she later posted to her Facebook profile “Laiasha Flie.”
“When I went out there, it was like kids,” Spears told NEA Report. “One of the mothers of one of the kids – she called the police.”
According to Spears, police were “tussling” with one of the kids. The commotion led to the police chief pulling up, she said.
“When he pulled up, everybody was kinda like rowdy, and he ordered for the mom that came to the scene to be put in handcuffs, and the son, who was 15, to be put into handcuffs,” Spears said.
According to Spears, the conversation was joined by the child’s father, the man in the wheelchair. She described the argument between the police chief and the father as “like a debate.”
“I just saw him say that you’re not going to talk to me like that,” Spears said. “Then he said, ‘You’re not going to put your hand in my face.’ And we all saw the chief assault him. He smacked him in his face. I saw that, I recorded that.”
“After he smacked him in the face, he had his arm around him, tussling with him, like grabbing him,” Spears said. “He just let his anger take control of him. he didn’t have to do that, but he did.”
After that, Spears said the mom and the child went to jail. The father was placed in handcuffs before she said he was taken to a local hospital.
Mayor Calls for Review
In a statement Tuesday morning, Osceola Mayor Joe Harris, Jr. called for “an independent review” of Police Chief Robert “Bobby” Ephlin’s actions, stating that he is fully aware and directed that it be taken seriously. He said an “outside agency” was beginning a “formal review process.”
“The City of Osceola is committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and public trust,” the mayor’s statement said. “Appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of this review.”
NEA Report reached out to the Arkansas State Police to inquire if they were the agency reviewing the incident. This story will be updated if we receive a response.
Regardless of the review process, Spears said she wants the police chief to be gone from his job in the city.
“I don’t really think we’re being led by someone with a level head,” Spears said. “I saw him let his anger cause him to assault someone. He really violated his human rights, and I want to see him gone. I want the chief of Osceola to be someone thinking with a level mind. We don’t need someone trying to prove a point.”
NEA Report has reached out to the Osceola Police Department for comment. A message was left with the assistant chief, who has not returned our call as of this publication.
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