Welcome to Arrest Stories. An Arkansas state representative and Republican candidate for Benton County judge was arrested in the early hours of a Saturday morning on charges tied to an alleged domestic incident. Heres what may have happened.
On August first, Austin McCollum, a sitting Arkansas state representative and the Republican nominee for Benton County judge, was booked into the Benton County jail on three charges: first-degree false imprisonment, aggravated assault on a family or household member, and third-degree domestic battery. McCollum was placed in the custody of the Benton County Sheriff's Office and was being held without bond.
Two of the charges are felonies. Aggravated assault on a family or household member is a class D felony, while false imprisonment in the first degree is a class C felony. The third charge, domestic battering in the third degree, is a misdemeanor. Combined, the charges could add up to ten to seventeen years in prison.
McCollum has served in the Arkansas state house since two thousand seventeen and represents District eight, which includes parts of Pea Ridge and Rogers. He won the Republican primary for Benton County judge in March and is scheduled to face independent candidate Taylor Sizemore in the November general election.
The arrest drew swift and sharp responses from Arkansas Republican leadership. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated, quote, the allegations against Representative McCollum are appalling, and I'm praying for his wife and children. I absolutely condemn violence of any form, and if these credible, sickening allegations are accurate, I call on him to immediately resign his office and drop out of the race for county judge, end quote.
Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans announced McCollum was being stripped of all House leadership positions and membership privileges, stating, quote, domestic violence is a serious offense that shatters families, harms victims, and erodes the trust that public servants are expected to uphold. I am calling on him to resign from the Arkansas House of Representatives or I will convene the House to take the necessary actions, end quote.
Attorney General Tim Griffin called the allegations abhorrent, saying, quote, every victim deserves to be heard, protected, and treated with dignity and respect, end quote.
Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge withdrew her endorsement of McCollums campaign, saying, quote, the allegations against him are serious and disturbing. I have long held that there is no place for domestic violence in Arkansas, end quote.
As of Saturday afternoon, McCollums campaign had not released a public statement.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.