Arkansas

Arkansas prosecutor accused of using power to protect pedophile uncle

Published

2 years ago

May 14, 2023

Arkansas prosecutor accused of using power to protect pedophile uncle

Jana Bradford, an elected prosecutor in rural Arkansas, allegedly used her legal knowledge and local connections to cover for her uncle Barry Walker, who pleaded guilty last year to raping and molesting 31 children, some of them repeatedly.

A civil lawsuit, filed in October, alleges Ms Bradford and other family members of Walker “circled the wagons” to protect him and knowingly failed to report his abuse, in an attempt to protect his thriving construction business and Ms Bradford’s political interests.

The family, according to the complaint, “worked collectively to develop a strategy to protect Walker with respect to the investigations because they knew a negative finding could harm the family’s reputation and political interests.”

“The people who knew about Barry are equally complicit in what happened to me and all those other girls,” one of the victims, now 22, told NBC News. “Every adult that was around, honestly. Nobody did s***. They failed us.”

Walker’s behaviours were publicly known for decades, and Ms Bradford worked assiduously to clear the 59-year-old’s name.

In March of 2000, Walker pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a year girl, and got out a year later.

By 2004, another victim, a 3-year-old, said Walker had abused her, prompting a state police investigation. Ms Bradford petitioned the state to grant Walker clemency.

More allegations followed in 2006, 2010, and 2014, the last of which ended with Walker in jail.

Family members posted his $25,000 bail, hired a lawyer, paid his employees, and kept his business enterprises running. Ms Bradford wrote a letter to the top prosecutor in the area arguing the victim made up her allegations, and the official never charged Walker with a crime.

In 2019, Ms Bradford attempted to get Walker removed from the sex offender registry, even though, the lawsuit alleges, she wouldn’t let her own daughter be left alone with the man, who was often seen driving around town with girls or riding horses with them.

The lawsuit also alleges family members delayed reporting two girls’ abuse allegations until after an election year to protect Ms Bradford’s political ambitions.

“Ms. Bradford denies in the most emphatic terms possible that she knew Barry Walker was molesting children or that she did anything whatsoever to conceal his depraved behavior,” an attorney for the prosecutor told NBC. “Since Ms. Bradford did not even know about Barry Walker’s continuing criminal acts, she certainly cannot be held responsible for his actions and the harm he caused.”

Walker is serving 39 life sentences, totalling 1,710 years in prison, with no chance of parole.

The case is considered one of the worst such series of crimes in state history.

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Arkansas

UL prepares to face Troy, Arkansas State twice in 11-day stretch

Published

8 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

UL prepares to face Troy, Arkansas State twice in 11-day stretch

LAFAYETTE — The Louisiana women’s basketball team is off to its best Sun Belt Conference start since 2020, holding a 4-1 record as they aim to replicate the success that led them to a regular-season title just three years ago.

However, the Cajuns face a critical 11-day stretch as the team will take on Arkansas State and Troy twice, both teams boasting potent offenses ranked second and fourth in the conference, respectively.

Head coach Garry Brodhead emphasizes that defense will be the key to weathering this challenging stretch.

“Anytime that you have any type of system, if the kids believe in it, it seems like it works a little bit better or a lot better,” Brodhead said. “On the road, that’s one of the things that we really, really preach. You know, we may not be making shots like we’re capable of… but you can always defend.”

The coach acknowledged the difficulties posed by Arkansas State and Troy, pointing out changes in the Red Wolves’ system, which now prioritizes a faster pace, three-point shooting, and relentless pressing.

“Troy is a tough team to play,” Brodhead added. “Both games will be tough. Can we withstand that, especially from the first game to the second game?”

The Cajuns’ pivotal run begins Wednesday in Jonesboro, where they’ll face Arkansas State at 7 p.m. A strong showing could position Louisiana for second place in the standings, trailing only James Madison.
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Arkansas

Arkansas High School Boys Basketball Scores (1/14/2025)

Published

16 hours ago

January 14, 2025

Press Room

Arkansas High School Boys Basketball Scores (1/14/2025)

The Arkansas high school boys basketball season is in full swing, and High School On SI has scores for every team and classification.

Keep track of Arkansas high school boys basketball scores below.

Arkansas high school boys basketball scores

ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL BOYS BASKETBALL STATEWIDE SCORES

CLASS 6A

CLASS 5A

CLASS 4A

CLASS 3A

CLASS 2A

CLASS 1A

2024-25 ARKANSAS BOYS BASKETBALL SCHEDULES: FIND YOUR TEAM

Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school boys basketball season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!

Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school boys basketball news.

High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App

— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi

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