HARDY, Ark. — A Sharp County jury convicted former Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose of second-degree sexual assault and knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor, assessing the maximum fine on the felony sexual assault count but no state prison time.
Rose, 48, was ordered to pay a $15,000 fine for second-degree sexual assault. He was sentenced to one year in county jail and fined $2,500 for furnishing alcohol to a minor, Arkansas State Police announced Monday.
Rose will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Spring River Chronicle, which covered the trial, reported that jurors returned guilty verdicts on both charges at about 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28. The jury then resumed deliberations to determine Rose’s punishment.
Second-degree sexual assault is a Class B felony under Arkansas law. Jurors could have imposed five to 20 years in state prison, a fine of up to $15,000 or both, according to Spring River Chronicle. The jury chose the maximum fine without a prison sentence on that count.
Rose will still serve the one-year county jail sentence imposed for furnishing alcohol to a minor. His fines total $17,500.
The felony conviction also makes Rose ineligible for law enforcement certification in Arkansas. Current state certification rules require officers to be free of a felony record and state that a felony conviction makes a person ineligible for certification, even if the conviction is later pardoned or expunged. Arkansas CLEST rules
The investigation began in March 2025 after the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office asked state police to assist with allegations of child sexual abuse involving Rose.
Arkansas State Police special agents conducted the investigation with the sheriff’s office, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. Rose was taken into custody June 2, 2025.
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