Trial date scheduled for sheriff charged with tampering

BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) - A September trial date has been set for Benton County Sheriff Kelley Cradduck on tampering charges.

The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports (https://bit.ly/1RTUXbV) that Circuit Judge Randy Wright on Friday scheduled the trial to begin Sept. 21.

Cradduck is charged with felony tampering with a public record and a misdemeanor of tampering. He has pleaded not guilty.

He’s accused of falsifying an employee payroll request form by back-dating it to reflect an employee’s starting date of more than a week before that actual start date, and of instructing his assistant to lie about it to Arkansas State Police investigators.

Cradduck ran for re-election, but was defeated in the March 1 Republican primary. His term in office is to end Dec. 31.

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Information from: Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, https://www.nwaonline.com