LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge will host the first virtual Elder Abuse Conference on Thursday, September 3, 2020. The conference was established to address issues faced by providers and loved ones who provide assistance and services to the elderly. The broad range of topics will include caregiver fatigue, financial exploitation, agency roles in protecting elder and endangered adults and communicating with victims who have cognitive impairment. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt will offer the keynote address.

“Our conference will provide education to protect our seniors who are vulnerable to financial and physical abuse,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This virtual platform will safely ensure our law enforcement officers, caregivers, and family members can identify suspected maltreatment and how they should respond.”

“I look forward to joining Attorney General Rutledge and the other conference attendees and sharing some of the lessons we have learned in Kansas and steps we are taking to combat elder abuse in our state,” said Kansas Attorney General Schmidt. “As the population of seniors continues to grow in Kansas, Arkansas and the rest of the country, an increased focus on elder abuse is needed, and I am grateful that Attorney General Rutledge is convening this online conference to further that discussion.”

According to the National Council on Aging, one in 10 Americans 60 years and older have experienced some kind of abuse. As many as five million elderly Americans are estimated to be abused each year.

The public is invited as well as law enforcement, medical professionals and providers, attorneys and home care givers to learn to better protect older and developmentally differently-abled adults.

This event was previously scheduled to take place in April, but was rescheduled due to COVID-19.

Interested Arkansans can sign up for this free, CLE and CLEST eligible training at here or call (800) 482-8982 for more information.

LITTLE ROCK - Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge issued a response following today’s U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit decision vacating the U.S. District Court’s injunction against four Arkansas abortion laws.

“Arkansas has taken a strong stance to protect the unborn from inhumane treatment,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “As Arkansas’s chief legal officer, I have always advocated for the lives of unborn children and will continue to defend our State’s legal right to protect the unborn. No defenseless baby should ever face the unimaginable and horrifying fate of death by dismemberment.”

The Arkansas General Assembly overwhelmingly passed the four challenged laws in 2017, which Governor Asa Hutchinson then signed into law. These laws—the Arkansas Unborn Child Protection from Dismemberment Abortion Act; the Sex Discrimination by Abortion Prohibition Act; an amendment regarding the disposal of fetal remains; and an amendment addressing the maintenance of fetal remain samples—were preliminarily enjoined by federal district court Judge Kristine Baker. But on an appeal brought by Attorney General Rutledge, the Eighth Circuit unanimously overturned Judge Baker’s injunction.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today issued a statement following the announcement of separate lawsuits filed by attorneys general in New York and the District of Columbia against the National Rifle Association and the NRA Foundation.

“This litigation is nothing more than a political stunt by liberal attorneys general against the NRA to ultimately continue the never-ending assault against our right to bear arms,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “As the State’s chief legal officer, I am committed to protecting and preserving our Second Amendment right and will not permit New York politicians to infringe on Arkansans’ constitutional liberties by attempting to dissolve organizations that don’t align with their anti-American agendas. I would welcome the NRA leadership and their corporation with open arms to call the Natural State home because we are a State which still reveres the Constitution."

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the convictions of a Booneville man and a Warren man for separate physical abuse charges.

“Arkansans should never be worried about the care their loved ones are receiving in our State’s residential care facilities and Arkansas’s most vulnerable should always be granted the highest quality care,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Any form of abuse against Arkansans residing in a Medicaid funded facility will not be tolerated by my office.”

Quincy Trotter, 21, of Warren, pleaded guilty to battery in the third degree. Trotter was employed as a Resident Care Technician Assistant at the Southeast Arkansas Human Development Center. On December 3, 2019, Trotter struck a client with his closed fist causing physical injury. Pursuant to a negotiated plea, the defendant was sentenced to complete one year of supervised probation, pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs and complete a course in anger management. The case was prosecuted in coordination with the Tenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Deen.

Carlos Nino, 22, of Booneville, pleaded guilty to battery in the second degree. In July, 2019, Nino was employed at the Booneville Human Development Center in Booneville, Arkansas, as a Resident Care Assistant. While on duty, Nino twisted a resident’s arm causing it to break. He was sentenced to probation for 36 months and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus court fees. This case was prosecuted in coordination with the Fifteenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum.

To report Medicaid fraud or abuse or neglect in residential care facilities, contact the Attorney General’s Medicaid fraud hotline at (866) 810-0016 or oag@arkansasag.gov.

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today announced the arrest of Keith Alan Head, the former owner of Prescott Manor Nursing Center in Prescott, by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Head is accused of emptying or severely depleting residents’ trust fund accounts totaling over $43,000 and charged with one count of theft of property valuing more than $25,000.

Head, 69, of Conway is the registered agent of H.O.P.E Healthcare, LLC, whose principle address is in Conway, and is the management company for KSJ, LLC doing business as Prescott Nursing Center and four other homes in Arkansas. The investigation began on September 27, 2019, when the Arkansas Department of Human Services discovered the residents’ trust fund accounts had been emptied or significantly depleted at several facilities by Head. Referrals were also received by the Prescott Police Department. This joint investigation involved agents from the Arkansas Attorney General's Office, and federal agents with the Offices of Investigation for the Social Security Administration and Health and Human Services. The case will be prosecuted in coordination with Prosecutor Christi McQueen of the 8th North Judicial District.

To report Medicaid fraud or abuse or neglect in residential care facilities, contact the Attorney General’s Medicaid fraud hotline at (866) 810-0016 or oag@arkansasag.gov.

Says, ‘to provide my expertise and recommendations on how we can better support our law enforcement officers by creating stronger community partnerships’

LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge today testified before President Donald J. Trump’s National Law Enforcement Commission’s hearing on the rule of law and respect for law enforcement. In October 2019, President Trump signed Executive Order No. 13896 authorizing U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr to establish the Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. The Commission, appointed by Barr in January, will work directly with national experts to collect and study data to submit recommendations to the President that will focus on strengthening our American law enforcement officials and their ability to serve and protect our communities.

“As the chief law enforcement officer of Arkansas, I was honored to testify before President Trump’s Commission and provide recommendations on how we can better support our law enforcement officers by creating stronger community partnerships, increasing accessibility and funding for law enforcement training and by providing more resources for crisis intervention,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “This heated national debate is an opportunity for us to find common ground to resolve long-standing and divisive issues, while finding ways to improve the relationship between our law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.”

General Rutledge has long been a leading advocate for law enforcement and a vocal opponent to the “defund the police” movement. She provides supplemental funding and free training to law enforcement throughout the state and annually recognizes the achievements of officers from all 75 counties. Rutledge also utilizes her roundtables as a forum to pro-actively obtain feedback from local police officers and community leaders.

The full script of the testimony can be found here.