FOX 16 Investigates: Van Buren County deputy faces multiple accusations of abuse of power, bad behavior

VAN BUREN COUNTY, Ark. – The uniform, the title, the car. Law enforcement officers hold a high position in any community. They are supposed to make people feel safe and put the bad guys away, but in Van Buren County, doubt is setting in for some residents that one man with a badge is looking out for the public.

Casey Cresswell, a former detention officer and medical contact at the Van Buren Co. Sheriff’s Office who used to work with Adams at the Van Buren County Detention Center, told FOX 16 Investigates that Adams “doesn’t need to be behind a badge and a gun, at all.”

“You just don’t know what he is capable of,” she said. “He’s clearly violent, he’s clearly hot-headed, clearly angry.”

Cresswell sat down with FOX 16 Investigates just days after she was fired for “violating department policy,” a claim she’s not buying. Instead, she thinks a different incident could be at the root of her issues.

On Jan. 19, Ronnie Dollar came into the sheriff’s office to reclaim his car, which had been towed by a local wrecker service.

“It started in the jail lobby,” she recalled. “I was able to see everything with my own two eyes.”

According to the affidavit, after Dollar was told he would have to pay a fee, he became visibly upset, “cussing, and getting loud.”

In the incident report, Adams described Dollar’s behavior as “chaotic” and reported that he escorted Dollar outside before taking him to the ground. Dollar was arrested and taken into custody.

Cresswell claims Dollar posed no threat and that the chief deputy acted wrongly by exercising excessive force.

“How did it get to this point?” Cresswell asked. “He was a victim of auto theft coming to pick up his car.”

FOX 16 Investigates attempted to get the video of the altercation but was told the incident is “under investigation.” An attempt to ask Van Buren County Sheriff Eric Koonce about the incident but was met with dead ends.

“Ronnie Dollar was placed under arrest here at the jail,” Koonce responded. “He was charged criminally and since it is an ongoing investigation, we’re not going to comment on the case.”

According to court documents, Dollar’s arrest warrant was recalled three days after his initial booking. His now faces a charge of disorderly conduct. He has pleaded not guilty and will go before the court in June.

“There was nothing that man had done that was illegal. There was nothing that he had done that was threatening,” Cresswell said. “He posed no threat, and to know that he took him down by his neck, what if it had gotten to the point where it was more after that?”

The former sheriff’s office staffer said she believes she was fired for speaking out about the use of force and challenging Adams’ position in the department. Still, she remains focused on making her former office better.

“At this point, I mean I am fully invested,” Cresswell said. “I will not stop until something is fixed, something has to change.”

FOX 16 Investigates found several other cases where Adams’ anger has been called into question.

In 2018, Adams was involved in a domestic dispute with his family that resulted in his termination from the department. He was initially charged with second-degree and third-degree battery. That case was later dropped, though, and he was rehired years later.

In 2022, Adams was banned from Rose Bud Ball Parks after allegedly causing a disruption after a game. The report of the incident stated Adams and a few other spectators “started screaming at [the] two umpires leaving the field.”

The Rose Bud mayor claims he told Adams and the others to stop, adding that Adams called the mayor fat and told him he would beat him up. The incident report stated Adams told the mayor, “Keep your fat a** walking or I’ll kick your fat a**. Now get out of my face or I’ll have you arrested.”

Officers called to the scene said they were shocked to find out Adams was in law enforcement and said he should have been arrested for “disorderly conduct, interfering with government operations and disobeying an officer.”

Rose Bud Officer Nicholas R. Wolff said in the report he had difficulty getting Adams to leave the game and got pushback from Adams about providing proof of a driver’s license. The report went on to state that at the end of the conversation between Adams and Wolff, Adams sped off down the road.

FOX 16 Investigates called Adams about the claims made against him. He said they are coming from “disgruntled employees” and his actions were justified in each case.

Adams recalled Dollar as being “aggressive” and claimed the man spit in his face, adding that he thought the arrest was warranted.

When asked about the 2018 case with his family member, Adams pointed out that it was eventually dropped and no charges were filed.

As for the incident at Rose Bud, Adams said he felt the opposite side was yelling at one of his female companions. He said his actions were brought on by inappropriate behavior from the other team.

While Adams claimed to have reasons for his actions, critics like Cresswell question just how coincidental some of these outcomes are.

“It seems like every time it gets to the point where his cases start to go to court, the other party drops out or they get over it,” she said.

FOX 16 Investigates reached out to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office for an additional interview but has not received a response.

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