A total of 19 candidates have submitted their resumes to become Eureka Springs’ next police chief, including two internal candidates, according to documents received from the city through an open-records request.
The city’s current police chief, Brian Young, tendered his resignation in a Sept. 27 letter to Mayor Butch Berry, writing that he has purchased a home in another state. Young’s letter indicates that his final day as chief will be Nov. 1, although Berry had previously indicated Young’s last day in the position would be Oct. 31.
“It is with a heavy heart, but after discussion with Family and attempting to look into the future, I have decided it is time for me to retire from the Eureka Springs Police Department,” Young writes in his letter to Berry, which was obtained by the Times-Echo through a request for information pursuant to the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
“My family and I have decided, after 32 years of community service, it is time to move closer to other family members and decided to purchase a home in another state.
“I will never forget the opportunity to work and learn from such a town as ours. I will never forget the friends I have made in this special place. I will continue to visit and look forward to playing tourist and seeing the friends I have made here. It has been an absolute honor to serve the citizens of Eureka Springs and work with you these last five years I have served as Chief of Police. We have accomplished more goals than I can count off hand, but I know in my heart, we, which includes you not just this department, have made this city and this department a better place to live and serve.
“My last day with the City of Eureka Springs will be November 1st, 2023. I can’t miss a Eureka Halloween.”
Young has been with the Eureka Springs Police Department since 2004 and previously spent several years with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. He was sworn in as police chief on Aug. 31, 2018, after the retirement of Thomas Achord.
“Chief Young has been a valuable person who has served Eureka Springs in an exemplary manner since he began work as a police officer in 2004,” Berry wrote via email. “His leadership as Police Chief beginning in 2018 has been a positive statement for our police department and the officers under his command.
“He has worked with not only our local citizens but our visitors to ensure a safe and welcoming environment. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
The applicants to replace Young include ESPD assistant chief Brian Jones and patrol supervisor Sgt. Billy Floyd.
Other candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are:
• Clint Bradberry, former criminal investigator with the Desha County Sheriff’s Office in south Arkansas;
• Darren J. Falslev, an investigator with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and former chief of police in American Fork, Utah;
• George Frye, former chief deputy with the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, who previously spent more than 25 yeas with the Tulsa Police Department; • Justin Kirk, a patrol lieutenant with the Saline County Sheriff’s Office in central Arkansas; • Paul Lilly, a former chief of police with four Texas cities who later served as county judge of Brown County, Texas, from 20192023;
• Jimmy Macon, chief of the Harpersville (Ala.) Police Department;
• Mark Maples, a labor relations specialist at Elgin Air Force Base in Florida and former chief of the Jefferson City (Mo.) Police Department; • Michael Morris, former chief of police in Henry, Tenn.;
• Jonathan Murphy, a police officer in Bethel, Alaska;
• Paul Parker, a fuel truck driver for Offen Petroleum in Springfield and former chief of the Mount Olive (Miss.) Police Department; • Douglas Pearson, whose resume indicates that he is currently a detective with the Texarkana Police Department and a police officer at Northwest Arkansas National Airport;
• Robert Richman, a former commander with the Austin (Texas) Police Department;
• George F. Ripsom, a former assistant chief for the Lanagan, Mo., Police Department;
• Luke Rosebaugh, a former lieutenant with the Bentonville Police Department;
• Randall W. Siwiec, a former counterintelligence officer with the FBI who now works as a contractor with a private company;
• Timothy I Thornton, chief of police for Village of Hatch, N.M.;
• and Johnny Turner, an emergency response driver and security coordinator and instructor for CREOKS Behavioral Health Services in Tahlequah, Okla.
