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| CHRISTOPHER ROBERT HART - SHYSTER ON THE RUN FROM WARRANTS FOR HIS ARREST |
Christopher Robert Hart, whose license to practice law was suspended by the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct on August 25, 2017 in order to protect the public and his clients from a "substantial threat of serious harm", is apparently on the run avoiding arrest on several outstanding warrants.
We found active warrants for Hart's arrest in Johnson and Garland counties stemming from his failure to appear in court in connection with felony drug and weapon charges in three separate cases.
Readers of our Bad Government in Arkansas blog will no doubt recognize that the judge in this particular Johnson County case is none other that Judge Wild Bill Pearson.
Here are our posts about old Wild Bill:
http://badgovernmentinarkansas.blogspot.com/2017/04/judge-fails-to-stop-at-checkpoint-is.html
http://badgovernmentinarkansas.blogspot.com/2017/04/judge-pearson-gets-sweet-deal-in-his.html
http://badgovernmentinarkansas.blogspot.com/2017/04/new-videos-obtained-of-judge-wild-bill.html
http://badgovernmentinarkansas.blogspot.com/2017/04/drunk-beligerant-intimidating-judge.html
http://badgovernmentinarkansas.blogspot.com/2017/04/watch-video-of-drunk-judge-wild-bill.html
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Hart has a similar active case in Garland County.
The charges stem from his December 2nd arrest by Hot
Springs police after they investigated a report of a man asleep in a Ford Mustang parked
at McAlister's Deli, 3948 Central Ave., about two hours before the restaurant
opened.
Hart told officer Rod West that he was resting
after visiting a friend on Higdon Ferry Road the previous night where he'd
bought the car, according to an arrest report.
Hart's speech was slurred and his eyes were
bloodshot, the officer reported. When Hart got out of the car, he smelled of
alcohol, and a syringe filled with a clear liquid fell from his lap, according to the police report.
Questioned about whether he'd been drinking, Hart
told police he'd had a pint of vodka the previous night. The officer also
reported finding a small plastic bag containing 1.4 grams of suspected
methamphetamine and discovered three more syringes inside a small backpack Hart
had been holding in the car. The fluid in the first syringe tested negative for
drugs, the report states. Hart was released two days later after he posted
$8,000 bond.
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And another one in Garland County. This one appears to be related on his Failure To Appear at a July 18th hearing in the case detailed above.
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Hart also has some problems with the Arkansas Office of Child Support Enforcement.
Hart was booked into the
Pulaski County jail on February 19, 2017 by Pulaski County sheriff's deputies on the order of Pulaski County Circuit Judge Vann
Smith and released later in the day.
Jail records showed he could be released by
paying $10,000 in child support arrears for his 16-year-old son from his first
marriage, which ended in November 2004.
The state Office of Child Support Enforcement
petitioned the judge in March 2016 to hold Hart in contempt, reporting that he
owed $38,338.
In an August 2016 pleading, Hart reported that he
had been "continually insolvent" until recently and was attempting to
build a private practice after years of working as an attorney for the state.
Court filings show he is a former assistant
attorney general and a former lawyer for the Department of Finance and Administration.
In January, the judge ordered Hart to pay $23,206
in arrears with 10 percent annual interest, representing a 12-year span from
November 2004 to December 2016. The rate was set at $732 per month.
Court records show he's also under court order to
pay $230 per month for a 7-year-old son from his second marriage, which ended
in April 2015.
Court filings show Hart did not show up for a
contempt hearing on his child-support arrears, a proceeding that had been
delayed repeatedly at Hart's request.
On the day of the hearing, Hart told the court he
had to appear that same day with a client in another circuit judge's court,
Smith wrote in an order. Smith even sent his bailiff to look for Hart, but he
could not be found, court filings show.
The judge ordered Hart's arrest on February 8, 2017 after
Hart did not appear for another hearing on his child support.
Garland County Circuit Court filings show Hart
had been arrested a day earlier in Hot Springs at the order of Judge Marcia
Hearnsberger after Hart showed up late for his own arraignment on drug and
alcohol charges, failed a drug test and was "under the influence of
alcohol" when he arrived in court. Hart was released from jail six days
later, February 13, 2017 after posting a $10,000 bond.
The attorney that represents the Office of Child Support Enforcement, Mark Alan Ross, has been the subject of disciplinary action as well. Ross wrote hot checks on an account that was used to hold funds of clients and it appeared he may have used the funds for unauthorized purposes.
OCSE ATTORNEY MARK ROSS - MISCONDUCT FINDINGS DUE TO MISUSE OF FUNDS
Ross was once the OCSE attorney in a case that involves the publisher of this blog. Ross was removed from that case after he made a mathematical error that resulted in the publisher having about $1000 in child support wiped out. You can expect Ross to be the subject of a future post on this blog.
How hard can it be for the authorities to find and hold on to Hart?
Stay tuned for updates.
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***UPDATE 09/12/17***
Here is the warrant information and report from Harrison that was referenced in the Clarksville/Johnson County documents.
