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SALINE COUNTYS NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1876
THURSDAY
June 19, 2014
Volume 137
Number 162
1 Section 12 Pages
50
Home of Henry Jones
and Gale Watters
Mays seeking post as Bryant city attorney
Doug Mays, a longtime
Saline County lawyer, has
announced his candidacy
for Bryant city attorney.
Mays pointed out that
the office is
nonpartisan
neither
Democrat nor
Republican
but he pledges
to be a parti-
san advocate
for the people
of Bryant and their city gov-
ernment.
The election will be tak-
ing place in November, he
said.
Currently, the city of
Bryant does not have an
elected city attorney. Chris
Madison serves as the
citys staff attorney through
an appointment from Mayor
Jill Dabbs.
A city attorney needs
to be knowledgeable of
the laws at the local, state
and national levels, Mays
said. I feel qualified in that
regard and will work tire-
lessly to ensure our citys
interests are best served
Since graduating in
1977 from the University
of Arkansas at Little Rock
School of Law, he has
amassed extensive experi-
ence, including legal and
practical experience in
courtrooms and legisla-
tive halls in Bryant, Saline
County and Little Rock.
Mays, who has main-
tained a private law practice
in Saline County since
1998, has served as special
judge for district courts
in Bryant and Benton. He
also has served as deputy
prosecuting attorney for the
6th Judicial District in Little
Rock, city judge in Shannon
Hills and city attorney in
Bauxite.
He has worked as gen-
eral counsel and performed
legislative liaison duties for
the Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission; natural
resources coordinator with
the Arkansas Department
of Commerce; and con-
tract attorney with the
Arkansas Soil and Water
Commission.
In addition, Mays has
been a legislative analyst
for the Arkansas Legislative
Council and served on the
Saline County Planning
Commission and the county
DWI Court staff.
Mays also has served as
an instructor and director
of publications for Arkansas
State University at Beebe,
Southern State College
(Southern Arkansas
University) at Magnolia and
Oak Grove High School in
North Little Rock. He also
has worked as a legal intern
with the Pulaski County
Circuit Court in Little Rock
and Hot Spring County
Circuit Court in Malvern.
Mays served as an enlist-
ed man with the U.S. Army
and as an officer with the
Army Reserve from 1973 to
1980.
In addition to being an
alumnus of UALR School
of Law, Mays holds a
bachelors degree from the
University of Kentucky at
Lexington and a masters
degree from Ball State
University at Muncie, Ind.
He is married to the for-
mer Colleen L. Hill, whose
family formerly owned Hill
Dairy Farm in Bryant. He
has one child and three
grandchildren.
He calls himself a part-
time farmer, an antique
tractor collector and a full-
time donkey owner.
Mays said he has lived a
full and fortunate life and
is at a point where I want
to give something back to
my community. Thats why
Im seeking this position.
By Lynda Hollenbeck
lyndahol@yahoo.com
Mays
CHECK OUT THIS WHOPPER!
BOBBYE PYKE/The Saline Courier
Marc Swayk, 3, shows off his monster catfish at the Benton Police Departments Hooked on Fishing derby that took place
Wednesday at Sunset Lake. See The Saline Couriers Youtube page to watch a video of the derby.
2 I-30 crash
victims still
hospitalized
Two passengers injured in a
Friday accident in which the driver
died remain hospitalized.
Four people were injured in the
three-vehicle collision that occurred
on Interstate 30 near the Alcoa Road
Exit in Benton.
Betty Moore, 69, of Little Rock
was taken by MedFlight to the
University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences on Friday after the vehicle
in which she was a passenger was
struck by two other vehicles.
UAMS personnel would not
release information about Moores
condition, but confirmed that she
remains hospitalized.
Sheena Seals, age and address
unknown, also was airlifted from the
scene and transferred to Arkansas
Childrens Hospital, where a hospital
representative reported her to be in
One remains in
serious condition
at area hospital
By Josh Briggs
jbriggs@bentoncourier.com
VICTIMS, page 8
Mother of drowning victim speaks out
Family asks for help with funeral costs
Parents arent supposed
to bury their child, says
Cara Ownsby.
Ownsby is the mother
of Michael Ryan Baker, 18,
who drowned Tuesday in
the Saline River.
He was such a fine
young man, she said.
Parents dont think of their
children as grown up, but
he was. Hed give you the
shirt off his back. He made
friends with everyone, and
within 10 minutes hed be
the guy people would want
to hang out with.
Ownsby said she learned
of her sons death in a
phone call from her former
husband, Michael Baker.
Ownsby lives in
Tennessee with her cur-
rent husband, and Michael
Baker lives in Haskell with
his current wife.
I had been texting with
my son that morning and
couldnt get hold of him,
Ownsby said. The family
on all sides has been devas-
tated.
To assist the family
with funeral expenses, an
account has been set up at
the Bank of the Ozarks.
Weve never done this
before says Ownsby in
talking about the funeral
process.
Carla Harris, mortgage
loan officer for Bank of the
Ozarks, describes how the
bank got involved.
On Tuesday, I read
online via the Courier
website about the drown-
ing incident, and my heart
immediately sank for the
victims family on the loss
Benton police
warn residents
of possible scam
Benton Police Department
is investigating a scam pur-
portedly related to jury duty.
Lt. Kevin Russell, public
information officer, explained
how the scam works.
A person identifies himself
as a Benton police officer in a
phone call, then says the per-
son has missed jury duty and
a judge has ordered a warrant
for the individuals arrest.
The scammer then attempts
to convince the victim to pro-
vide credit card information so
the person can take care of
it, Russell said.
He said he is aware of only
one victim in Benton.
Unfortunately, the victim
was scammed out of several
hundred dollars in this case,
Russell said.
In a similar tactic used in
another part of the state, the
victim was told he or she
needed to pay several hundred
dollars with prepaid money
cards to avoid an arrest war-
rant, Russell said.
This is not the way police
departments operate, he
explained.
We will never demand
payment from you over the
phone, Russell said. We will
never ask to meet you some-
where out of the way to make
payments or be served with a
warrant.
However, the individuals
involved in this type of activity
are subject to arrest, he said.
We will press charges on
anyone impersonating an offi-
cer to the fullest extent of the
law, Russell said.
If a person is ever in doubt
about the legitimacy of an
officers identity, he or she
may contact the Benton Police
Department at 501-778-1171.
The Saline County Sheriffs
Office also has received
reports about a similar scam,
Russell said.
By Sarah Perry
sperry@bentoncourier.com
By Brent Davis
bdavis@bentoncourier.com
The family
of Michael
Ryan
Baker, 18,
is asking
for help
in paying
for funeral
costs.
Baker
drowned
Tuesday in
the Saline
River.
Special to
The Saline Courier
HELP, page 5