Former Gans police chief reinstated as Arkansas officer
A former Gans police chief who was among three law enforcement officers seen in a viral video that gained national attention for showing a suspect being beaten in a use-of-force incident in Arkansas has been reinstated as a police officer in Mulberry, Ark.
A former Gans police chief who was among three law enforcement officers seen in a viral video that gained national attention for showing a suspect being beaten in a use-of-force incident in Arkansas has been reinstated as a police officer in Mulberry, Ark.
Thell Riddle, who served as a police officer and chief of police for the town of Gans for 12 years, according to his profile, was named along with Zack King and Levi White as the three officers seen in the video beating Randal Worcester in Crawford County, Ark. The incident occurred in August 2022, and resulted in Riddle and the two Crawford County deputies being suspended and investigated.
The incident initially began at an Alma, Ark., gas station before ending with the altercation in Mulberry, according to the attorney who is representing the victim.
A video produced by a witness went viral and received millions of views online. The video shows Worcester, 27, being kneed and slammed on the ground.
Riddle was placed on administrative leave, and the deputies were fired more than a month after the investigation was launched. King and White were later arrested by the FBI.
In January, the Justice Department announced that a federal grand jury had returned an indictment charging the former deputies with federal civil rights offenses for using excessive force during the arrest. If convicted, King and White face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; both defendants also face up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Mulberry Police Chief Shannon Gregory confirmed that Riddle was reinstated.
Following the August incident, Gans Assistant Police Chief Gary Jones said Riddle worked for the GPD (Gans Police Department) prior to Jones’ employment, but could not provide any details about Riddle during his time at GPD. He did say Riddle left the department in 2017 to take a new position in Arkansas.
Gans mayor Gary McGinnis said Riddle worked for the GPD before McGinnis began serving on the council in 2018. McGinnis said records indicate Riddle was employed at Gans from July 2010 to March 2017.
McGinnis said during the time he knew Riddle, he had not heard of any accounts of excessive force involving Riddle.
According to information released from the Mulberry Police Department, Riddle has worked in law enforcement since 2000 when he was hired at the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office. He resigned from the sheriff’s office in 2008 due to “personal conflicts,” according to records from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.
Riddle then went to work for the Kibler Police Department. Kibler is a small town in Crawford County with a population of about 1,000.
Riddle was fired from the department in September 2008, less than six months after being hired because he was “involved in a domestic disturbance,” according to state records.
