BENTON – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge hosted today the 2020 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Luncheon at the Benton Event Center, where she announced Fayetteville Police Department’s Sergeant James Jennings, Corporal Seay-Peter Floyd, and Officer Natalie Eucce as the Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Following Arkansas Health Department guidelines, law enforcement from across the State attended the 18th annual awards ceremony honoring an outstanding law enforcement official from each of Arkansas’s 75 counties.
“Every day law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect their communities,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “In Arkansas, we will always back the blue.”
The 2020 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year recipients, Sergeant James Jennings, Corporal Seay-Peter Floyd, and Officer Natalie Eucce, were recognized for an incident that occurred on December 7, 2019, when Officer Stephen Carr was sitting in his patrol unit outside of the Fayetteville Police Department. Officer Carr was waiting on his partner, Natalie Eucce, who was inside the police department speaking with one of her supervisors, Sergeant James Jennings. A suspect approached from the rear of Officer Carr’s patrol vehicle and without provocation or warning, shot Officer Carr.
Corporal Seay Floyd was inside the police department and heard the shots being fired in the parking lot. Corporal Floyd looked out the window and observed the suspect shooting at Officer Carr’s vehicle as he walked through the parking lot. Without hesitation and with no regard for his own safety, Corporal Floyd immediately exited the police department and confronted the armed suspect. Corporal Floyd fired his handgun at the suspect as the suspect moved to a position of cover.
Officer Eucce and Sergeant Jennings also heard the shots being fired. They immediately responded to assist Corporal Floyd. All three officers ran towards the threat to engage the suspect. The suspect hid in a dark alleyway alongside the police department. The three officers moved with precision and sound tactics which gave them a tactical advantage when they located the suspect hiding in the alleyway. The suspect emerged from the alleyway and advanced on the officers still armed. Corporal Floyd and Officer Eucce fired striking the suspect multiple times. They then attempted life saving measures but the suspect died at the scene. Other responding officers attempted life saving measures on Officer Carr, however, he succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.
Chief Reynolds states, “Valor is defined in part as ‘great courage in the face of danger.’ Sergeant Jennings, Corporal Floyd and Officer Eucce exemplified this definition on the night of December 7, 2019. With no regard for their own safety, they moved into the line of fire, located and stopped a murderer before he could stop anyone else. If it had not been for their bravery, courage and valor, many more lives may have been lost.”
Regional Officers of the Year recognized during the luncheon included: Searcy Police Officer Burnis “BJ” Rouse, Little Rock Police Detective Troy Dillard, Arkansas State Police Corporal Andrew Ault, Star City Police Department Sergeant Ben Reeves and Officer John Fallis.
Rutledge also presented a VALOR tribute, which is given in honor of members of the law enforcement community who tragically lost their lives while in the line of duty this past year. This year’s tribute was presented to the family of eight law enforcement officials who lost their lives.
County Officers of the Year
Arkansas County
Corporal Billy McCradic, Arkansas State Police
Ashley County
Trooper Charles (Ross) Allen, Arkansas State Police
Baxter County
Special Agent Jackie Stinnett, Arkansas State Police
Benton County
Chief Stephen Grizzle, Decatur Police Department
Boone County
Special Agent Buster Rinks, Arkansas State Police
Bradley County
Corporal Sammy Norris, Arkansas State Police
Calhoun County
Trooper First Class Wade Schanzlin, Arkansas State Police
Carroll County
Corporal Jeff Ricketts, Arkansas State Police
Chicot County
Corporal David Tumey, Arkansas State Police
Clark County
Corporal William Summerville, Arkansas State Police
Clay County
Sergeant Ashley Vaughn, Corning Police Department
Cleburne County
Wildlife Officer Briston Gould, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Cleveland County
Corporal Greg Rowland, Arkansas State Police
Columbia County
Trooper First Class Brent Walker, Arkansas State Police
Conway County
Corporal Josh Howard, Morrilton Police Department
Craighead County
Officer Kaitlyn Inouye, Jonesboro Police Department
Crawford County
Trooper First Class Chris Short, Arkansas State Police
Crittenden County
Sergeant Stephanie Soimis, Arkansas Department of Community Correction
Cross County
Trooper Tanner Hess, Arkansas State Police
Dallas County
Trooper Jimmy Pyler Jr., Arkansas State Police
Desha County
Corporal Scott Rosegrant, Arkansas State Police
Drew County
Trooper Tyler Gentry, Arkansas State Police
Faulkner County
Special Agent Gregg Bray, Arkansas State Police
Franklin County
Lieutenant Ben Sisk and Wildlife Officer Kirk Turner, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Fulton County
Corporal Jason Hooks, Arkansas State Police
Garland County
Corporal Andrew Ault, Arkansas State Police
Grant County
Corporal David Forthman, Arkansas State Police
Greene County
Trooper First Class Chris Davenport, Arkansas State Police
Hempstead County
TIE
Corporal Corwin Battle, Arkansas State Police
Corporal David Hamilton, Arkansas State Police
Hot Spring County
TIE
Corporal Christopher Garner, Arkansas State Police
Corporal Tomisha Ivory, Arkansas Department of Correction
Howard County
Corporal Kyle Jones, Arkansas State Police
Independence County
Deputy Jordan Harder and Deputy Bobby Tate, Independence County Sheriff’s Office
Izard County
Sergeant Kyle Moody, Arkansas Department of Correction
Jackson County
Trooper Marcus Simpson, Arkansas State Police
Jefferson County
Corporal Huston Talley, Arkansas State Police
Johnson County
Lieutenant Arron Arnold, Clarksville Police Department
Lafayette County
Deputy Kris Carr, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office
Lawrence County
Corporal Anthony Dail, Arkansas State Police
Lee County
Trooper Jake Price, Arkansas State Police
Lincoln County
Sergeant Ben Reeves and Officer John Fallis, Star City Police Department
Little River County
Wildlife Officer Cody Standifer, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Logan County
Lieutenant Thurman K Lunsford, Logan County Sheriff’s Office
Lonoke County
Corporal Jason Dooley, Arkansas State Police
Madison County
Special Agent Eric Lee, Arkansas State Police
Marion County
Corporal Tim Davenport, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Miller County
Captain Lillie Phillips, Arkansas Department of Correction
Mississippi County
Captain Andre Harris, Arkansas Department of Community Correction
Monroe County
Trooper Justin Williams, Arkansas State Police
Montgomery County
Corporal James Avant, Arkansas State Police
Nevada County
Wildlife Officer Spencer Miller, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Newton County
Senior Corporal Mike Thomas, Arkansas State Police
Ouachita County
Corporal Larry McMahen, Arkansas State Police
Perry County
Chief Bill Sneed, Perry Police Department
Phillips County
Lieutenant John E. Harris, Phillips County Sheriff’s Office
Pike County
Lieutenant Wayne Epperly, Pike County Sheriff’s Office
Poinsett County
Trooper Tommy Fitzgerald, Arkansas State Police
Polk County
Trooper First Class Bo Hayes, Arkansas State Police
Pope County
Trooper First Class Deston Linkous and Corporal Steven C. Magness, Arkansas State Police
Prairie County
Special Agent Jason Martin and Sergeant Randall Murphy, Arkansas State Police
Pulaski County
Detective Troy Dillard, Little Rock Police Department
Randolph County
Corporal Nick Poulsen, Arkansas State Police
St. Francis County
Corporal Kelvin Stewart, Arkansas State Police
Saline County
Corporal Chet White, Arkansas State Police
Scott County
Corporal Mac Davis, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Searcy County
Sex Offender Coordinator Cari Seaton, Searcy County Sheriff’s Office
Sebastian County
Officer Kenneth Martin, Fort Smith Police Department
Sevier County
Wildlife Officer Sydney Grant, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Sharp County
Trooper First Class Darren Bates, Arkansas State Police
Stone County
Corporal Chad Cruce, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Union County
Trooper Garrett Brock, Arkansas State Police
Van Buren County
Lieutenant Charles Shaw, Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office
Washington County
Corporal Seay Peter-Floyd, Sergeant James Jennings and Officer Natalie Eucce, Fayetteville Police Department
White County
Officer Burnis “BJ” Rouse, Searcy Police Department
Woodruff County
Major Jody Akins, Woodruff County Sheriff’s Office
Yell County
Trooper Steven Payton, Arkansas State Police
1-29-21 3:08 p.m. KAWX.ORG