Stephen Coger for Prosecuting Attorney

*update: Jon was released Friday evening. Now we work to get Judge Griffin to respect the Constitution by allowing people to attend hearings.*

Jon Comstock, a fantastic person, attorney, and retired judge was put in jail this morning by Judge Chris Griffin, a misdemeanor court judge in Benton County. Judge Griffin did not want Jon attending the hearings that the judge was presiding over, even though the law requires that the public be allowed to observe.

Please contact the judge immediately . No one is above the law, and Judge Griffin evidently may need reminding of this.

Dear Judge Griffin:

I am writing to ask that you please release Jon Comstock from the Benton County jail. He is scheduled to be released at 7:30pm today, but I would like to make you aware of some factors that you do not know:

1. Jon was in the hospital ER last week for an unknown condition that required immediate medical attention. I am worried about his health.

2. Covid numbers are rising and he is in the age group (as am I) that is most susceptible to serious health issues if he gets Covid.

3. He’s been in jail several hours now, will you please consider that sufficient and order him released?

4. Jon’s wife recently suffered an injury and cannot drive and is confined to home. She is unable to come to the jail and is at home alone. She depends on Jon to get around the house and to help her with her needs.

I respectfully request that you give Jon a break and let him out now, and that you ensure that people are allowed to meaningfully attend all hearings as required by law from now on.

Thank you,

https://www.soldiersheart.vet is a project I help run that gets healing art into the hands and ears and hearts of veterans across the country.

It's a sort of memorial to a family member of mine who lost his battle to post-traumatic stress years ago. If you have any veterans in your life that you think might like to hear some great music and/or read some great poetry from a vet who struggled hard to recover a sense of ease and peace in post-military life, please share the link.

If you are a vet and would like to have a CD and/or poetry book shipped to you for free, go on our website and fill out the form and we'll send one to you.

My cousin, Jacob, had views that were very political but veterans from all across the political spectrum have talked about how much it has helped them find a new stability since leaving the fighting life down range. Please share widely!

With thanks,
Stephen

Jacob David George Jacob, a 3-tour veteran of Afghanistan, came home and did his best to heal from the wounds of what he called “moral injury.”  Here you can listen to his music, read his poetry, and support our work to get it into the hands of veterans around the world at no cost to them.

Go get your car washed and help these kids raise money!

Lots of polling places in Fayetteville are down because of weather (including the courthouse), but, this one is open:

VC Trinity Fellowship Church; 1100 Rollings Hills Dr Fayetteville, AR 72703

Hi, all! We have canvassers out in the rain and if we can raise just a bit more money, we can keep them going into the evening. Please visit VoteCoger.com/donate if you'd like to support this work to Move Justice Forward!

We'll treat kids like kids and stop charging them as adults, reform cash bail so that nondangerous folks aren't trapped at the cost of $100 per person per day, and we will make sure that no dangerous folks are released just because they can afford their bail. We'll get a mental health court up and going and get at the root causes of addiction by expanding drug court and (and by decriminalizing cannabis so that drug court isn't having its limited space wasted on recreational users!). I also pledge to never violate the Speedy Trial Act, something my opponent has done multiple times, resulting in the release of a murder suspect and a child ra**st suspect and unknown numbers of others.

Please donate now if you can ! :)

Donate — Stephen Coger for Prosecutor Contribute to Stephen Coger for Fourth Judicial District ProsecutorStephen’s campaign relies on grassroots contributions from people like you. Donate today to help build a prosecutor’s office in which Northwest Arkansas residents can take pride. Please use the form below or mail a check to Commi...

Get a ride to the polls, no questions asked, from Team Coger! Just give us a ring! 📞🗳️

🚗 Schedule a time to vote when you get off work or during your lunch!

🚙 Ask your boss for time off right now, they have to give it to you in accordance with AR Statute 7-1-102!

A proactive prosecutor can stop crime by addressing its root causes, and if I am elected, we will stop the revolving door of recidivism by using data-based decisions and interventions in my office. My opponent merely reacts to crime, well, when he doesn’t violate the Speedy Trial Act by failing to timely prosecute and let people off without consequences.

My office will Predict, Align, and Prevent. So, what is P-A-P and how will it make us safer?

The Little Rock Police Department is ahead of us on this, and here’s a link to a website that shows their plan and goals: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/awards/15pbja-21-gg-04110-bcji
In short, they are aiming to do just this: use data to PREDICT where the needs are, ALIGN resources to meet those needs, and PREVENT CRIME before it happens. They’re going to lower arrests and get guns off the street, by using data to work smarter. We can do this here, too, but it will take a prosecutor willing to do the work to create these new systems of transparency in partnership with the police, the schools, and the U of A.

I pledge to react to crime, to never miss a Speedy Trial Act deadline, and also to proactively prevent crime. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has invested in a program at the state level that has proactively saved many children from harm, and, we will use something similar to this program locally. (If you’d like to read about the program the governor has supported, you can read about it here: https://papreports.org/little-rock-ar/index.html)

PAP will be part of my pledge to run the most transparent prosecutor’s office in the state. We will work with the UA sociology department to establish an information sharing program, and we will geolocate reports of crime. Say, for example, there was a part of Fayetteville where kids were shoplifting a lot of food; we would be able to see that, and many other patterns at the end of each month. Then, I will personally work with community leaders in that part of town to determine: how can we align resources to make sure kids have food to eat for supper, or during summer break?

Together, we will identify where our community is failing our community members.

Vote Coger today and tomorrow to make real change that will make us safer, and save us millions of taxpayer dollars annually.

So grateful to have the support of another educator; thank you Jo Ann Williams!

I'm Jo Ann Williams and I am a former Home Economics Teacher at both Huntsville and Fayetteville High Schools (Jo Ann Braddy). I have known and respected the entire Coger family since I was involved with community activities in both counties.

I was highly involved with the A C Mowery family in both Huntsville and Danville. I know from my own experiences who to trust in life experiences involving law, education, honesty, and trustworthiness. Vote Stephen Coger for Prosecuting Attorney.

We need an evidence-based prosecutor who addresses the root causes of crime, especially the root causes of addiction. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has been a huge advocate of peer recovery support specialists, and when you elect me as prosecutor, I will work to expand this great project in Madison and Washington Counties. Peer recovery support is critical because it carries a credibility that cannot come from any other source.

Jimmy McGill, Chairman for the Arkansas Peer Advisory Committee and State Opioid Response Coordinator for the Office of the State Drug Director, knows all too well the impact of peer support. After confronting his own substance abuse issues, McGill has led the development of peer recovery throughout Arkansas.

“Lots of very smart, caring folks had tried to help me: counselors, teachers, pastors, doctors,” McGill said. “But they all lacked the one thing I needed, and that was credibility. I couldn’t relate to them. When I met people who were in recovery, I saw everything clearly. I had a path forward, and I saw that someone just like me had made the journey successfully. An addict in recovery did in two minutes what people had been trying to do for 20 years.”

Jimmy is a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and has assisted in the training of over 330 peer recovery support specialists. His efforts have allowed Arkansas to place peers in emergency rooms, treatment centers, community centers, drug courts, jails, and reentry centers. But the need is still great.

As prosecutor, I will write the grants myself if I have to (I have raised millions of dollars over the last 15 years in service to young survivors), and we will do whatever it takes to get certified peer recovery support specialists in the county jail, working on the police force, and more. Elsewhere in Arkansas, there is one specialist who works with an overdose investigator and goes out on calls related to opioid use and overdose; what a great idea! This person also works on following up with survivors, connecting them with treatment, naloxone and other resources.

We can do what works here in Washington and Madison County, but it will take a prosecutor who has the energy for it, and that is me. Vote Coger on May 23 and 24, and tell your friends!

APPRECIATION POST — Team Coger has been out talking to voters in all kinds of weather since we kicked off in January. I'm thankful for the volunteers who have supported this campaign. I know Tuesday will be historic, and it's because of their dedication to move justice forward.

Children deserve protection; not indifference, and certainly not the disrespect prosecutor Matt Durrett has shown for child survivors, like in the Huntsville Schools s*x abuse scandal, or when he violated Speedy Trial and allowed the release of a suspected child ra**st of two children. No more will police effort be wasted on my watch.

We CAN have a prosecutor who prioritizes advocating for survivors, but we have to vote Coger on Monday and Tuesday.

When I am elected, there will be no more speedy trial act violations; my opponent has violated the STA an unknown number of times, resulting in the release of suspected murder, suspected double child ra**st, and a DUI suspect.

What follows are the words of a resilient survivor in a Letter to the Editor that was published in the Democrat Gazette. Thank you, Gabrielle, for this important endorsement. We will do better in Madison and Washington Counties.

# # #

Dear Editor:

As a survivor of s*xual abuse, I write to endorse attorney Stephen Coger in his run for Prosecutor of Washington and Madison Counties.

Several weeks ago, I saw a social media post from Coger about the mishandling of an abuse case in Madison County. As documented in this publication, Huntsville junior high students stated they’d been s*xually assaulted by other students. School and school board officials received this information but did not fulfill their duties as mandated reporters. Coger’s opponent in the race, incumbent Matt Durrett, decided not to file charges against any of the officials.

Like all abuse and assault survivors, I know what it feels like to experience powerlessness. If a s*xual violation is not addressed properly and immediately, it can camp out in the nervous system, emitting a fog of shame and self-doubt, destroying self-esteem, generating panic attacks and depression. It can produce acute states of fight/flight/freeze for decades. Trauma without justice can destroy a person.

In the aftermath of my abuse, I attempted to end my life once, and I wrestled with suicidality that ran my brain ragged deep into adulthood. Therapy helped, but for relief from symptoms I relied on (effective) cannabis and (ineffective) pharmaceuticals until I was able to get true healing through Ketamine infusions. Thank goodness there are practitioners out there dedicated to helping survivors make it through the storm.

And thank goodness there are people like Stephen Coger, fighting for young people when they are brutalized. Coger has been a tireless advocate for violated and abused youth for years. His commitment is profound.

When I was in my thirties, my sister Susan and I had the extraordinary fortune of putting our father in jail for his s*xual violations against her. (Not all crimes that occurred in my youth could be prosecuted at that point, but what a grace it was that the horror Susan endured could be.) Delivering victim impact statements to a judge who clearly wanted us to have our say, supported by a driven district attorney, I felt something fundamental shift within me. It was as if the community was saying that what had happened was unacceptable and we deserved justice. That’s the kind of tectonic correction only the law can effect.

We need a prosecutor who is not frightened to battle those in power when their actions harm innocent people.

Coger’s post criticized the incumbent for ignoring the experiences of those boys and blatantly misreading the law. When elected, Coger said, he will fight for young victims like those in Huntsville and not let authorities off the hook like his opponent seemed comfortable doing.

Stephen Coger is allied with the vulnerable. He understands that victims need warriors, and he’s not afraid to be a champion for justice. He has my vote, and if you have felt powerless when you should have been protected, I hope he’ll have your vote, too.

Sincerely,

Gabrielle Idlet
West Fork, AR

So thankful and excited to see THREE GENERATIONS vote for the change that we need to see in Madison and Washington County. Together, we are going to move justice forward! No more charging kids as adults, no more violations of the Speedy Trial Act, no more will the good ol boys be in charge.

From Judith Yáñez:
Today, three generations of Mexican-Americans voted for Stephen Coger. Each in our respective ways have faced the Northwest Arkansas status quo, that left us powerless and speechless.

Today,
Let our vote speak.
Let our vote hold power.
Let our vote be the change future generations need.

Such a great night at the 131 Inclusion Gallery in Springdale! Local artists everywhere, great live music and of course—lots of people excited to vote for Stephen Coger for Prosecuting Attorney!!

Hi, all! Early voting has begun!

And, one of the best ways to spread the word is by my people telling their people about this campaign for justice reform, both in real life and on social meeds. Would you be up for sharing some stuff?

Here are a few posts that might appeal to folks with varying priorities:

A post about the millions of taxpayer dollars we'll save with my Pretrial Services Plan
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=145603798035416&set=a.127397066522756

A great endorsement from retired felony Judge Jon Comstock
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=143886004873862&set=a.127397066522756

A post about the importance of discretion and a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, or "sunshine" law) violation that my opponent appears to have chosen not to prosecute.
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=146677011261428&set=a.127397056522757
(note: I will hold elected officials and other government officials accountable when they disrespect our democracy by violating our state's sunshine laws)

How we'll interrupt fines and fees and make sure municipalities aren't relying on this sort of legal extortion for their budgets:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=141394255123037&set=a.127397066522756

Why We'll Be Decriminalizing Simple Possession of Cannabis
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=143703894892073&set=a.127397056522757

One example of how electing me will promote safety for kids https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=139896728606123&set=a.127397056522757
(note: this is the only really, realllllly critical post of my opponent, so if you don't want to share something like that, then best to skip this one!:)
(bonus note: after my post, my opponent got slammed from so many sides that he decided to reopen the investigation into the abused kids' situation.)

A post for people interested in the intersections of homelessness and criminal justice. My plan for Justice Involved Supportive Housing will save the county so much money and it will address some of the root causes that currently fuel the revolving door of homelessness and jail:
https://www.facebook.com/stephenforarkansas/posts/146955204566942

My opponent uses his discretion well sometimes, and that is important because discretion is an integral, daily part of being a prosecutor. For example, I have great respect for him because he has chosen not to bring criminal eviction proceedings against folks, even though Arkansas has a statute just for that purpose.

Now, that said, my opponent claimed at the library forum that because he swore an oath to uphold the law that he must bring every single charge. But, that just isn’t true, and anyway, he doesn’t even do that.

Related to this, a LOT of people are excited about my policy of not charging for simple possession of cannabis; but, how can I do that, legally?

Well, we have only 20 or so deputy prosecutors to try way more cases than they actually can, despite their skill and experience. So, it is understood that prosecutors will drop charges, and they do, all the time.

Let’s take a look at something that is actually way more important to try than cannabis possession: violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). That is, when public officials refuse to share information that they are required to share under the law; in those cases, the prosecutor should bring charges for this misdemeanor violation that is really, deeply offensive to our democracy because violating this law damages people’s ability to keep tabs on their government. Judge Martin ruled this week that Huntsville schools violated FOIA; and, that seems like an easy win for a prosecutor but to my knowledge, no charges have been brought by my opponent and he didn't respond to the newspaper's inquiries related to the judge's ruling, at least not in time for the news story.

Another example of discretion: my opponent refused to charge the s*xual abusers in the Huntsville school case, and to not charge the school administrators who allowed this to happen and who failed to report it (he has begun to reverse course on this position, thanks to public pressure). This is discretion at work, albeit poorly.

And guess what–if you vote, we have an opportunity to use discretion wisely. What’s that look like? Well, as you know, I will use my discretion to not charge for simple cannabis possession. And, I will use discretion to charge cases of the maltreatment of children, like in the Huntsville situation.

In his eight years in office, my opponent has consistently misplaced his priorities, and vitally important cases have slipped through; because he failed to timely prosecute, a suspected child ra**st was released. He was alleged to have abused two pre-teen kids for years.

Because of misplaced priorities, a felony DUI suspect was allowed to drive: all because of a failure to timely prosecute.

Because of misplaced priorities, my opponent allowed a suspected murderer to walk. “It was our fault… It slipped through,” he said.

When I am elected, we will have no Speedy Trial Act violations because we will focus on what is important, because we will use discretion wisely.

So. We will not charge for simple possession of cannabis, and we will go hard on violent crime and we will never violate the Speedy Trial Act.

It’s time for a change, a change that can only happen if you vote, and if you get your friends to vote, and if you share these posts with others who will get motivated to vote.

It’s time to move justice forward. Vote Coger now and through May 24 and please let us know if you’d like to get involved making calls or knocking doors!

PS I was contacted yesterday by someone who told me that, on May 2nd, he asked under Arkansas FOIA law, for information on cases wherein my opponent violated the Speedy Trial Act allowing suspects to walk due to his failure to timely prosecute. Under FOIA, officials have 3 days to respond. As of yesterday, this person had received no response. We can do better. We deserve a better experience. Please, vote and spread the word!

If you vote for me to be prosecuting attorney, I am ready on the first day to move forward with establishing a real pretrial services program with trained pretrial officers who will meet people at the jail, interview them, assess their situation and make recommendations to the judges as to whether or not someone should be released and under what conditions.

Now, my opponent claims at the 11th hour to support this plan as well; but, after 8 years he didn't request any funding for this work until earlier this year. I have a fully developed plan, and it will save us millions.

Each pretrial officer will oversee approximately 40 clients and will be in charge of making sure their clients are connected to services and resources, including those that they need to get their lives on track, support their families, and keep their court dates. That can be done and it can be done at great savings to the county. Not just in dollars, but in lives saved.

I estimate my pretrial program will cost around $552,600 annually. The WC Quorum Court has already allocated that much for one reentry program that only accommodates a small number of men, around 20. I will be aggressive in advocating that we get these programs up and going. Together, we will prove to them that it can be done and that it should be done, and we will track the savings so that the county can make plans on how we can use this saved taxpayer money to serve this and the next generation.

While knocking doors on Friday, I found myself visiting with a retired couple, devout folks who attend Genesis Church and who care deeply and actively for people experiencing homelessness. They said, “what’s your plan for loving these neighbors of ours?” And, well, I have a plan that is not just compassionate, but will save us millions of dollars, annually. And, even better, it’s been proven to work around the country, including in the south.

For the period of March 1 through March 29th, our jail in south Fayetteville had a daily average of 93 people whose address was either “homeless” or “1832 S School” which is the address for 7 Hills Homeless Shelter. In April the numbers were nearly identical. The majority of charges are drug and drug related (theft, shoplifting, etc.) Advocates estimate that another dozen to two dozen people are homeless and merely listed addresses whereat they once lived.

The first priority of every prosecutor is to keep the community safe and to seek justice in doing that. And that begs the question, is it the prosecutor’s job to be concerned about justice for unsheltered folks? Yes it is, and it should be, because the prosecutor is the administrator of justice, and it is not justice when we only react to crime and suspected crime. We must proactively get to the root causes of criminal behavior if we are really interested in the safety of everyone in our community, if we really want to love our neighbors.

Of course, access to permanent housing is central to breaking the cycle of incarceration and homelessness. Meanwhile, how can we get at the root causes of the revolving door of homelessness and criminal justice interactions? What can we do to decrease incarceration for people experiencing homelessness, something that will make us safer, lift up our neighbors, and save us millions?

When I am elected, I will work with the county, cities, and community members to advocate for the funding of Justice Involved Supportive Housing. I will work with the county grant writer, or write the grants myself, if that’s necessary to get funding. This will provide support and resources for people experiencing housing instability and homelessness; this program will interrupt the revolving cycles of their return to jail and provide them with case managers and rent assistance. It will cost money, of course, but it will save us so much more than it costs.

For some ideas, have a look at this:

Right now, we spend around $100 per day jailing someone. At 100 people per day for 30 days, that equals $300,000. Multiply that by 12 months and we’ve spent over $3.2 million taxpayer dollars locking away people, some of whom pose no danger to anyone. These are our neighbors who we have a chance to lift up and connect to sustained and sustaining resources. Now, people who commit violence or damage against property have to pay consequences, and that will mean jail time. But, when I am elected, you will have a prosecutor who moves proactively, not just reactively.

With Supportive Housing, we would spend about $15,000 per person per year. If we could get even fifty chronically homeless people into housing, that’s $750,000 annually spent; that is a sensible investment, especially when contrasted against the nearly $2,000,000 we would have spent jailing them.

And guess what: supportive housing for has been shown to result in fewer returns to jail: a 40% reduction in days spent in jail and 38% reduction in jail admissions over two years after enrolling in the program. If you would like to read about these programs, here are a couple of resources:
https://VoteCoger.com/resources https://endhomelessness.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Cost-Savings-from-PSH.pdf

With Memorial Day approaching, it seems appropriate to mention that anyone who loves veterans should support this plan. This should be near and dear to the heart of anyone who feels called to love their neighbors, of course, but perhaps especially veterans, who have disproportionately high rates of homelessness.

I am asking for your vote to make our community safer, more whole, and financially better off. Early voting started on May 9th and election day is May 24th. Vote Coger and we will move justice forward in the Fourth Judicial District and set an example for the entire state.

note: the charts here are from a Justice Involved Supportive Housing program (they call it FUSE), and you can read about this program on my website.

My opponent uses his discretion well sometimes, and that is important because discretion is an integral, daily part of being a prosecutor. For example, I have great respect for him because he has chosen not to bring criminal eviction proceedings against folks, even though Arkansas has a statute just for that purpose.

Now, that said, my opponent claimed at the library forum that because he swore an oath to uphold the law that he must bring every single charge. But, that just isn’t true, and anyway, he doesn’t even do that.

Related to this, a LOT of people are excited about my policy of not charging for simple possession of cannabis; but, how can I do that, legally?

Well, we have only 20 or so deputy prosecutors to try way more cases than they actually can, despite their skill and experience. So, it is understood that prosecutors will drop charges, and they do, all the time.

Let’s take a look at something that is actually way more important to try than cannabis possession: violations of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). That is, when public officials refuse to share information that they are required to share under the law; in those cases, the prosecutor should bring charges for this misdemeanor violation that is really, deeply offensive to our democracy because violating this law damages people’s ability to keep tabs on their government. Judge Martin ruled this week that Huntsville schools violated FOIA; and, that seems like an easy win for a prosecutor but to my knowledge, no charges have been brought by my opponent and he didn't respond to the newspaper's inquiries related to the judge's ruling, at least not in time for the news story.

Another example of discretion: my opponent refused to charge the s*xual abusers in the Huntsville school case, and to not charge the school administrators who allowed this to happen and who failed to report it (he has begun to reverse course on this position, thanks to public pressure). This is discretion at work, albeit poorly.

And guess what–if you vote, we have an opportunity to use discretion wisely. What’s that look like? Well, as you know, I will use my discretion to not charge for simple cannabis possession. And, I will use discretion to charge cases of the maltreatment of children, like in the Huntsville situation.

In his eight years in office, my opponent has consistently misplaced his priorities, and vitally important cases have slipped through; because he failed to timely prosecute, a suspected child ra**st was released. He was alleged to have abused two pre-teen kids for years.

Because of misplaced priorities, a felony DUI suspect was allowed to drive: all because of a failure to timely prosecute.

Because of misplaced priorities, my opponent allowed a suspected murderer to walk. “It was our fault… It slipped through,” he said.

When I am elected, we will have no Speedy Trial Act violations because we will focus on what is important, because we will use discretion wisely.

So. We will not charge for simple possession of cannabis, and we will go hard on violent crime and we will never violate the Speedy Trial Act.

It’s time for a change, a change that can only happen if you vote, and if you get your friends to vote, and if you share these posts with others who will get motivated to vote.

It’s time to move justice forward. Vote Coger now and through May 24 and please let us know if you’d like to get involved making calls or knocking doors!

PS I was contacted yesterday by someone who told me that, on May 2nd, he asked under Arkansas FOIA law, for information on cases wherein my opponent violated the Speedy Trial Act allowing suspects to walk due to his failure to timely prosecute. Under FOIA, officials have 3 days to respond. As of yesterday, this person had received no response. We can do better. We deserve a better experience. Please, vote and spread the word!