Prosecutor challenges judge-elect’s fitness to serve

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) – Weeks after he pleaded guilty to criminal charges, a prosecutor is questioning a circuit judge-elect’s ability to serve the people of Northeast Arkansas.

Second Judicial Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood stated her concerns regarding Doug Brimhall in an Oct. 4 letter to Second Judicial District Administrative Judge Pam Honeycutt.

Brimhall was serving in Hagood’s office at the time of his arrest earlier this year for felony aggravated assault on a family or household member. In September he pleaded guilty to a reduced misdemeanor charge of harassment.

He is expected to be sworn in as a circuit judge at the first of 2025.

In her letter to Honeycutt, Hagood stated she had “a profound responsibility to advocate for the victims we represent and uphold the integrity of the judicial system.”

The prosecuting attorney said the victims her office serves, as well as those they prosecute, “deserve a fair and impartial judiciary.”

“Brimhall’s conduct raises significant concerns regarding his ability to fulfill these expectations,” Hagood said. “I presume there are complaints filed with the Judicial Discipline and Disability Committee, as well as with the Office of Professional Conduct. However, we currently lack clarity on any potential disciplinary actions or restrictions he may face.”

Hagood requested Brimhall be excluded from presiding any cases involving the Second Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, adding her office intends to file a motion to recuse all cases that come before Brimhall.

Given his criminal conduct and actions, Hagood said she has no confidence Brimhall can provide citizens “even the appearance of a fair and impartial judge.”

“We are a self-regulating profession; failing to address wrongdoing undermines the very principles of justice we are sworn to uphold,” Hagood said. “In my opinion, to stay silent on this issue is to be complicit in his conduct.”

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