TURRELL, AR – A Mid-South police chief is charged with aggravated assault. According to court documents, Turrell Police Chief Greg Martin is accused of going to a city councilman’s house and pulling a gun on him. The mayor tells myEyewitnessNews.com he’s standing by his top cop. “Greg Martin is the best officer I’ve ever had since I’ve been mayor. He’s very dutiful, he’s very intelligent and he’ll do whatever it takes as an officer of the law,” says Turrell Mayor Franklin Lockhart.
Arkansas Prosecuting Attorney Mike Walden says this all started after city council members stopped by city hall. “Apparently there had been some events earlier in the day when members of city council had been to city hall making certain requests.” Hours later, Mayor Franklin Lockhart says he told Turrell Police Chief Greg Martin to hand deliver a memo to city council members outlining when and why city council members could stop by city hall unannounced. According to court documents, when Martin got to Councilman Floyd Holmes’ house, he pulled a gun. “There’s obviously been a long running and bitter dispute between the mayor and city council in Turrell. They have not been able to get along on anything and I think some of this is spillover from some of that,” says Walden.
Chief Greg Martin has been charged with aggravated assault. Mayor Franklin Lockhart wouldn’t go into detail about what happened between Martin and Councilman Holmes but he did say he isn’t happy with the Crittenden County Sheriff’s Department and their investigation. He says deputies have not contacted him at all about the matter. “The only thing that troubles me is the county is supposed to be the backup and they looked at me like I was a fly on the wall.” Lockhart says he plans on launching his own investigation into what took place. In the meantime martin stays on the job and the Lockhart stands by his chief of police. “A very outstanding young man. He ain’t no hoodlum, he’s an outstanding young man and I’ll go to bat for him anytime.”
This comes just two months after Mayor Lockhart asked a judge to place a lien against the members of town council in the amount of $600,000. The mayor claims council members owe the town because they haven’t performed their duties.
