Former Police Chief Who Falsely Claimed He Was Attacked By Gun Rights Advocates Pleads Guilty

By Bob Owens

Erek Ballentine, the former police chief of Bald Knob, Arkansas, who asserted that supporters of open carry spray-painted and then burned his personal vehicle, has made a plea deal. The deal appears to be calculated to shield Ballentine from going to jail for not only burning the truck himself, but for a gun theft revealed during the course of the arson investigation.

The former chief of the Bald Knob Police Department pled guilty to a gun crime on Monday stemming from an incident in September of 2015.

Christopher R. Thyer, United States Attorney, Jeffrey Reed, Resident Agent for the ATF, and Col. William J. Bryant of the Arkansas State Police announced on Monday that former Bald Knob Police Chief Erek Balentine, 31, pled guilty to a felony charge for possessing a stolen firearm.

As a result, Balentine agreed to pay $12,968.71 in restitution to Progressive Insurance relating to an incident in which his personal truck burned just before his resignation from the police department.

According to the news release from the U.S. attorney, Monday’s plea hearing took place before United States District Judge Brian S. Miller in Little Rock and sentencing will take place at a later date.

The gun crime was exposed …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms