JONESBORO, Ark. — Second Judicial District deputy prosecutors stopped attending bond hearings before District Judge Tommy Fowler in Craighead County last week.
The change came two days after NEA Report published findings that a Craighead County deputy prosecutor had changed bonds without judicial approval. After Fowler first mentioned the bond changes in open court, Prosecuting Attorney Sonia F. Hagood was critical of the judge when speaking to our reporter.
Fowler presided over the county’s next bond hearings on Wednesday, July 1. The judge commented in court that no deputy prosecutors were in attendance.
NEA Report confirmed Hagood told her deputy prosecutors not to attend bond hearings before Fowler, specifically. An email obtained through FOIA shows Hagood notified Fowler at 12:09 PM that her deputies would not be attending bond hearings, which begin at 1 PM.
The email also referenced another point of contention: Hagood said her deputy prosecutor had been instructed not to speak during probable cause hearings. It isn’t clear when this incident occurred. NEA Report contacted Judge Fowler to ask about this, but he declined to speak.
Bond hearings were to be held on Thursday, rather than Friday, for the holiday weekend. The hearings were canceled, and Fowler set temporary bonds. According to an informed source, it was a technical issue unrelated to the conflict with the prosecutor.
On Monday, July 6, Fowler again presided over bond hearings in Craighead County and noted in court that no one from the prosecutor’s office was present. A defense attorney also commented on the same observation.
Hagood said the conversation about not attending Fowler’s bond hearings began at least a month before last week’s story on bond changes. Her July 1 email to Fowler refers to a past incident where a deputy was reportedly told to “not speak.” The prosecutor stated that the decision to stop attending bond hearings was not because the judge brought up issues about bond modifications.
Deputy prosecutors were not attending bond hearings in Craighead County before Hagood took office, according to both the prosecutor and the court. Her office later began attending bond hearings, but Hagood said deputies will no longer attend those before Fowler.
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Sounds like prosecutor Hagood got her little feelings hurt and she’s pissed at judge Fowler, doesn’t sound like he’s worried very much, she will eventually figure out she doesn’t run the judge, probably the other way around if it shakes down to it …!