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Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Bentley releases evidence against Wilson for voter’s review

SEE CORRECTION BELOW

Trevis Bentley is one of two candidates running against incumbent Council Member Juanita Wilson. Wilson occupies the Ward-4 Pos-2 seat on the Alexander City Council. The other candidate running against Wilson is Stephanie Beck.

With Early Voting in full swing, and Election Day next week, it’s Bentley who’s doing most of the campaigning. He has been posting information, he acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), concerning Wilson’s recent arrest.

According to the ARCourts website, an arrest warrant was issued for Wilson on June 20, 2026. She was charged with Forgery 2nd Degree. Wilson turned herself in to the Saline County Sheriff’s Department July 1, 2026. She was released the same day on a signature bond.

According to the documents received by Bentley the forgery charge is based on an allegation that Wilson had a resolution, that establishes who can sign city checks, amended. The original resolution was approved by the city council in November, 2022. Based on the evidence, after then Mayor Paul Mitchell lost the run-off election in December to Crystal Herrmann, his name was later removed from the resolution as a primary signer and replaced with Wilson’s name. She was originally listed as a secondary signer.

The investigation was conducted by Special Agent Drake Champagne, Arkansas State Police. In his report Champagne states, “During the course of the investigation, I discovered that a falsified City of Alexander resolution was used by City Councilwoman Lou Juanita Wilson to obtain a credit card in Wilson's name for the City of Alexander at the First Security Bank in Bryant.”

“The falsified resolution contained the same resolution number as a legitimate resolution that had been passed by the City Council,” Champagne’s report continues. “The falsified resolution appeared to have the signatures of former City Of Alexander Mayor Paul Mitchell, as well as former Recorder Sharon Bankhead. The falsified resolution is easily identifiable by its change in font, misspellings, and missing hyphen in the resolution number (R22-21-11-1) as opposed to the original resolution (R-22-21-11-1).”

Champagne also says in his report that both Mitchell and Bankhead stated their signatures appearing “on the falsified resolution does not belong to” them.

In an interview with Vice President of Lending/Merchant Services for First Security Bank in Bryant, Jerry Ponder, Champagne’s report states Ponder “confirmed that Wilson presented him with the falsified resolution on April 11, 2023, to obtain the credit card.”

The information concerning how the resolution was amended came from an interview with former city employee Cheryl Kindervater.

The report states, “Kindervater revealed that on December 30, 2022, Wilson asked Kindervater to edit the previous City Council approved resolution (R-22-21-11-I). Kindervater said that Wilson told her to put Wilson's name in place of Mitchell's name, making her a primary signature authority for the City of Alexander's banking activities. Kindervater advised that she thought ‘something wasn't right’ and slightly changed the font of the document to make it easily discernible from the original.”

Some time later Kindervater left the employment of the City of Alexander.

“I obtained the documents presented to First Security Bank by Wilson, which included the falsified resolution and a copy of the City Council meeting minutes from November 21, 2022, which appear to have been falsified as well,” the report concludes. “The minutes presented to the bank appear identical to the original minutes provided to me by Cheryl Kindervater, with the addition of a bullet point stating ‘Authorized Sinage (sic): Juanita Wilson-Councilman, JoAn Allen-Churchill-City Treasurer, Sharon Bankhead-City Recorder.’"

Prior to charges being filed, Wilson stated at a city council meeting she obtained the credit card for the use of then Police Chief Robert Burnett. According to Wilson, Burnett told her Mayor Crystal Herrmann wasn’t allowing him to make purchases using the city credit card controlled by her. At that same meeting Wilson said since the city automatically is allowed three cards she didn’t see a problem.

In the original article covering the three candidates for the Ward-4 Position-2 seat, Bentley commented on the charges against Wilson.

He said, “Let me be clear…..an arrest is not a conviction, and every person is innocent until proven guilty, but public officials should still expect their public record, their participation, and their conduct in office to be examined by the people they serve.”

In regard to participation, Bentley has also reviewed Council Member Juanita Wilson’s recent attendance record.

“According to the City of Alexander’s council meeting minutes, our Ward 4 Position 2 representative has not attended a city council meeting since April 20, 2026, and has missed 6 of the 9 council meetings held this year. Why? That is a record the voters have every right to question.”

Despite rumors to the contrary, Wilson is still a member of the Alexander City Council. On advice of her attorney Wilson says she was told not to attend any council meetings until the completion of the trial. A jury trial has been set for December 1, 2026.

Wilson has also been advised to not comment on the charges or upcoming trial.

EARLY VOTING

Early voting begins October 19. A list of the early voting locations for Pulaski and Saline counties can be found at these two websites.

Pulaski County

Saline County

CORRECTION (10/28/26 – 2:38 pm)

Based on new information the sentence, “Wilson later retrieved the card from Burnett when she learned he was allowing other officers to use it for department purchases.” has been removed. We apologize for the error.

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

Alexander Mayor explains wish list for 2027 budget; Subdivision request approved

Alexander council members were provided a list of new, or one-time, expenditures to be included in the 2027 budget. The list includes items for the General Fund, the Street Department, and Parks and Recreation.

Listed under the General Fund are proposed expenditures for, “HVAC Units for the 3 remaining cottages, HVAC unit at Community Center #1, New roofs for cottages, Brownfield grant expense of $500,000.00, Design plan expense of $100,000.00, Property signs,” and “Increase community engagement (classes, etc.).”

Mayor Crystal Herrmann told council members the HVAC units listed in the proposed budget are the same age as the ones that needed to be replaced this past summer.

“So we've already replaced two units this year,” she said. “So we're looking at three more units that are the same age of the ones that we just had this year that completely gave up. ... And then we're looking at the small community center.”

The “small community center.” referred to is Community Center #1. It’s located along Main Street in the Pulaski County portion of Alexander.

About the roofs needed for the cottages at the former Human Development Center (HDC) Herrmann said, “We're losing shingles every time the wind blows.”

Moving on to the burned out hospital building on the former HDC property, Herrmann said there’s been a rule change involving the funding. The grant applicant must now provide a 50/50 match and there is a funding cap.

“But the deal is, is now they've changed the funding for the Brownsville (Brownfield) cleanup,” Herrmann said. “Prior it was a zero match. And now the federal government is requiring a match, 50/50. 50/50 match and the only thing that they will supply is $500,000. So we would have to be able to match the $500,000. Meanwhile, the abatement, the abatement, the amount, I believe it came in close at like $900,000 just to abate the whole building.”

Herrmann and the city council have been attempting to acquire a Brownfield Grant in order to make the HDC property safe for development. The grant program is funded by the EPA. According to the EPA website, "A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant." The expectation is the hospital building contains asbestos, lead paint and potentially other unknown hazards.

The HDC property, along Highway 111, was originally built as a tuberculosis sanitarium for African-Americans. Eventually it was converted into a home for adults with special needs that required care and training from professionals.

When the Arkansas Department of Human Services no longer had a use for the property it was deeded to Alexander in 2018. Under state law the property could not be sold to an individual. It could only be taken over by another government entity such as a municipality or county.

“I just want y'all to understand, that's not fixing it,” Herrmann added. “That's just cleaning out all the asbestos and the materials that are considered toxic.”

The goal is to eventually have it demolished and removed so the property can be developed for commercial use. The city failed to be approved in the 2026 cycle. Herrmann says the next submission cycle begins January, 2027.

Explaining what she means be, “Increase community engagement (classes, etc.)” Herrmann said, “And then I would like to put some funds aside for our general funds for increased community engagement. I think it's very important in my opinion that the citizens have alternatives in our own city, which they don't have to draw some of our ills for different activities. Maybe some senior classes or maybe some dance classes or that extra. Yes, some activities maybe for the kids this summer. Maybe a couple of art classes in the big community center. I mean, maybe we could host a good night. Yeah, and the night or we could give a lot of negative coverage and for the business stuff.”

Moving on to streets and parks the Mayor lumped two wish lists into one. The list includes, “Replacement of Dump Truck, Stormwater Expense/Planning, Overlays of streets, Replacement of corrected culverts, Street sign replacements, Benches and trash cans,” and “Comm(unity) Center #2 upgrades.”

“And then we've got stormwater expense and planning,” Herrmann began. “So we did receive our grant and had the flood study done on the West County fund. And we do have some suggestions for improvements as far as the flood study goes.”

Herrmann also wants the city’s unspent revenue to start earning interest.

“But for us to do the best that we can with our cash dollars, I think we need to make a little different for some of the funds and next month we'll have one of the representatives from over the First Security (Bank) because we have options if we go to put back a million dollars while we wait to see if we get this grant, or if we're being proven, we need to put that into a CD or something,” she began. “It needs to be, it needs to not just be sitting in that, that account. ... Yes, so where we have six months of our payroll, sitting there in case of emergency, we can walk that six months of payroll into a CD or money market account. Those are things that they put in the bank or the resident comes over. I think y'all would be interested in possibly what we would for me because I was thinking about the capital improvement line out of and we want to build that in this seems like an event while we are saving for the capital improvement. I was talking about the plan on what capital improvement we want to do first. Well then at least the money's not just sitting and depreciating in the bank account.”

Subdividing lots facing 3rd Street and Alexander Road approved

Also at the October 19 council meeting, council members approved a request to subdivide property located on the north side of 3rd St. (Hwy 111) between Alexander Road, Main Street and an alley. According to the written request the new owner, Zuleima Hernandez, wants to combine existing lots 7, 8 and 9 into two lots labeled 7R and 8R. A variance request for an existing building, which is eight feet from a boundary line instead of the now required 20 feet was also approved.

Each of the three lots had homes located on them. With the redrawn property lines, the lot that faces Alexander Road (8R) now has two residential structures on it. The plan is to sell that lot so a single home can be built there.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Alexander City Council is Monday, November 16, at 6:00 PM in the courtroom of the Alexander Municipal Complex (City Hall). Meetings are open to the public.

Friday, October 16, 2026

Incumbent and challenger square-off for District 81 seat, again

Arkansas House of Representative RJ Hawk (R), representing District 81, is once again being challenged for that seat. And, his opponent is the same person who challenged him in the 2024 election. Former City of Alexander Council member Gina Thomas-Littlejohn (D) is making her second attempt to unseat Hawk.

A questionnaire was Emailed to the two candidates. The responses are below.

This is Part-3 of a three part series on the election. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

State Rep. RJ Hawk (R)

Address: P.O. Box 1021, Bryant, AR 72089

Representative Hawk began representing District 81 on January 9, 2023. He is seeking a third term in office.

RJ Hawk was born in Midland, Texas. He graduated from Athens High School and earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications from the University of Central Arkansas in 2008.

Hawk owns Realty One Group Pinnacle (Bryant), Hornet Ice (Bryant), Panther Ice (Benton) and Hawk Family Properties. Before being elected to the State House he was a member of the Bryant City Council (2018-2022). He has lived in Bryant the past seven years.

Representative Hawk touts three accomplishments during his first two terms.

“Since I was elected State Representative, I have sponsored or co-sponsored legislation to lower the state income tax, made breakfast FREE and available to every kid in public school, and increased the homestead tax credit for homeowners in Arkansas,” Hawk said.

Gina Thomas-Littlejohn (D)

Address: 15431 Walnut Glen Drive, Alexander, AR. 72002

[Did not respond to questionnaire.]

EARLY VOTING

Early voting begins October 19. A list of the early voting locations for Pulaski and Saline counties can be found at these two websites.

Pulaski County

Saline County

Thursday, October 15, 2026

Herrmann and Mitchell square-off; again

The November 3, 2026 General Election will be a repeat of 2022, minus two other candidates and a run-off election. This time, though, it’s Mayor Crystal Herrmann being challenged by former Mayor Paul Mitchell. In 2022, Herrmann, a political newcomer, unseated Mitchell after a December run-off election.

A questionnaire was Emailed to the two candidates. The responses are below.

This is Part-2 of a three part series on the election. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

Mayor Crystal Herrmann

Address: 15505 S. Alexander Rd.

[Did not respond to questionnaire.]


Paul Mitchell

Address: 16202 West Azalea Dr.

Paul Mitchell has lived in the same home for over 26 years. First as a resident of what was Woodland Hills, now known as South Alexander since the annexation in 2006.

Mitchell retired from, “AT&T, Construction & Engineering Digital Electronics Group, System's Programming, Electronics Installations/23 years.”

Before working for AT&T his employment background includes serving as a municipal police officer/deputy sheriff, a certified EMT, firefighter, an engineer with Snider Telecom & KARN Radio, eight years as a store manager for AutoZone Corporation, and four years as a store manager for Quik Lube Corporation.

Mitchell said he, “Received Medal of Merit (from the) Desha County Sheriff's Office.”

His previous political experience includes serving four years on the Alexander City Council then ten years as Mayor. He lost a recall election in November, 2012 but was elected again in November 2014.

Mitchell touts a list of accomplishments which began while on the council then continued while serving as mayor. I, “Started a Street (?) when I was on the Council by working with Mayor Johnson,” he began. “[B]ut I as Mayor, took it to the next level. [W]hat you see today is far beyond 1 (one) lawn mower, couple of weed eaters (and a) broken down tractor. I bought dump trucks, salt sand spreader's, power generators on all city facilities, over $1,000,000.00 in (street) Grants and using city funds for street overlays.”

He points to improvements in the City Park including the, “Fountain, power & water, lighting, walking trails, Gazebo, fencing, flag poles, benches, covered areas with swings,” and improving the entrance road into the park (Robert Evans Rd.), “from gravel to asphalt.” plus, “developed (the) paved parking area.”

When his first term as mayor began January 1, 2011 Mitchell notes the police department had, “broken down vehicle's with only three Officer's and with the county Sheriffs working nights and weekends,” protecting the city.

Mitchell says during his first ten years as mayor improvements to the police department included, “new vehicle's, added 7 more officer's, (and) all new equipment.”

Other improvements Mitchell includes in his list of accomplishments are, “Cut property taxes from 5 mil to 1.5 mil the lowest in Saline & Pulaski County, brought in a Dollar (General) Store, brought in a Big Red which is now a Circle K at Corner Stone Rd., brought in another Circle K at Hwy. 5, brought in the Marijuana Dispensary on Hwy. #5, put in a(n) electronic sign on city hall property, got all city employees health benefits, life insurance, pay increases from $10.00 to $25.00 hr. and above over time, changed the administration office phone system with extensions and voice mail, brought fiber optic in building, I worked with the State of Arkansas Real Estate office to acquire 65 acres Human Development Center for free hoping to make the property a Shopping Center, grants for the Fire Dept. washing machine & dryer for their turnouts, machine to refill their air tanks, replaced culverts all over the city for drainage, remodeled inside City Hall to enlarge the P.D. space to accommodate more than 3 people, and I could go (on) but you get the picture.”

As mayor Mitchell was a member of the Emergency Services Board Saline County, which was responsible for choosing Pafford EMS to provide ambulance services to all of Saline County, including the City of Alexander.

Mitchell says he has some unfinished business to complete.

Mitchell wants, “To finish projects that were not completed; splash pad next to Community Center #2, Also (establish a) Heating & Cooling Center #2, (more) Street over lays (paving), Changing Hwy. 111 to North & South Main Street, Go back to work on a Grocery Store (at) HDC (Human Development Center).”

He wants to continue trying to develop the HDC property into a shopping Center and call it “Brook Crossing.” The name is derived from his original plan to extend, “Brookwood Road thru HDC to Hwy. 111,”

Mitchell wants to increase Alexander’s land mass by, “[A]nnexing North of Hwy. #5 & 111 (North Alexander Road) the Cemetery by moving North all the way to Baseline Road, Getting Restaurant of some type such as Huddle House, etc.. I was working Waffle House, but they choose (sic) Hwy. #5 at Otter Creek instead.”

He wants to continue his planned improvements to the City Park including, “A stage at the back of the park, finish up the center midway to bring in a carnival. [T]hese are item's I did not get to finish, there are many more!”

Mitchell’s education background includes, “Graduated Monticello High School 1971, Attended University of Arkansas Monticello, Graduated Arkansas Tech., Degree (in) Electrical & Electronic Engineering / Student Board Member IEEE, Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers / Dean's List / GPA 3.6, Certified Municipal Official, Graduate Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, (and) FBI Training Courses.”

On the personal side Mitchell is a member of the Alexander First Baptist Church. He is married to wife Genny and has four, “Grown Sons, 3 Grand Sons.”

EARLY VOTING

Early voting begins October 19. A list of the early voting locations for Pulaski and Saline counties can be found at these two websites.

Pulaski County

Saline County



Wednesday, October 14, 2026

Two challenge incumbent for Alexander Ward-4 Position-2 seat

Two Alexander residents are challenging Council Member Juanita Wilson for her seat on the council. Wilson is being opposed by Stephanie Beck and Trevis Bentley. Wilson occupies the Ward-4 Pos-2 seat on the council.

A questionnaire was Emailed to the three candidates. The responses are below.

This is Part-1 of a three part series on the election. Candidates are listed alphabetically.

Stephanie Beck

Address: 14709 Kent Dr.
Email Address: sissy3154@yahoo.com

[Did not respond to questionnaire.]


Trevis Bentley
Address: 5168 Woodstream Drive
Email: trevisbentley504@yahoo.com

Trevis Bentley resides at 5168 Woodstream Drive in the Meadow’s Edge subdivision. This is his second attempt to unseat Council Member Juanita Wilson. His first attempt was in 2024. Bentley has not previously held any elected office.

“I am currently employed in an engineering capacity,” said Bentley. “Because of the nature of my employment,” he cannot divulge the name of his employer.

Bentley says Alexander residents deserve better representation than the incumbent is providing.

“I’m running because I believe the citizens of Alexander deserve better and I’m not afraid to say it,” Bentley said. “Public office is not a title. It is not a personal platform. It is a responsibility. When residents elect you to represent them, they place their trust in you to show up, listen, communicate, participate, and most importantly, be accountable for the decisions being made on their behalf.”

Bentley has reviewed Council Member Juanita Wilson’s recent attendance record.

“According to the City of Alexander’s council meeting minutes, our Ward 4 Position 2 representative has not attended a city council meeting since April 20, 2026, and has missed 6 of the 9 council meetings held this year. Why? That is a record the voters have every right to question.”

“The recent felony arrest involving the current representative is also a matter of public record,” Bentley continued. “Let me be clear…..an arrest is not a conviction, and every person is innocent until proven guilty, but public officials should still expect their public record, their participation, and their conduct in office to be examined by the people they serve.”

“For me, the bigger question is simple, are the people of Alexander receiving the level of representation they deserve?” Bentley asked. “You cannot effectively represent the people if you are consistently absent from the room where the city’s business is being conducted. Council meetings are where issues are discussed, decisions are made, concerns are raised, and the interests of residents are represented. That is exactly why I believe we need to raise the standard of public service in Alexander.”

According to the ARCourts website, an arrest warrant was issued for Wilson on June 20, 2026. She was charged with Forgery 2nd Degree. Wilson turned herself in to the Saline County Sheriff’s Department July 1, 2026. She was released the same day on a signature bond.

The forgery charge is related to Wilson obtaining a city credit card in 2023 for the use of then Police Chief Robert Burnett. According to Wilson, Burnett told her Mayor Crystal Herrmann wasn’t allowing him to make purchases using the city credit card. Apparently, signing for the card at the bank is considered forgery.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Wilson is still a member of the Alexander City Council. On advice of council Wilson says she was told not to attend any council meetings until the completion of the trial. According to court documents a jury trial has been set for December 1, 2026.

Despite losing in the 2024 election, Bentley says he continued to stay involved in Alexander affairs.

“I ran for this position before,” Bentley said. “I lost, but I did not disappear. I continued showing up to council meetings, community functions especially for the children, and opportunities to stay involved with the people and the community I wanted to serve.”

Bentley touts his education and work experience as vital to serving the Alexander community.

“My professional background has prepared me to serve this position with a level of discipline, accountability, and problem-solving that I believe is essential for effective local government,” Bentley began. “I hold a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Southern University and A&M College, and I have more than 16 years of engineering experience in Arkansas.”

“My career has required me to work with contractors, review plans and specifications, monitor construction projects, address problems in the field, document decisions, manage public resources, and ensure that work is performed according to established standards,” he continued. “Those responsibilities have taught me that leadership is more than making decisions. It is about understanding the facts, listening to the people involved, asking the right questions, following through, and being accountable for the outcome.”

Bentley says a council member should be involved in the community.

“I also understand the importance of community involvement,” he said. “I have been involved in community improvement efforts, neighborhood concerns, youth and educational outreach, and efforts to connect residents with local resources. I believe an effective council member must understand both the technical side of city government and the concerns of the people who live here.”

No one will argue with Bentley’s observation that Alexander has a problem with storm water drainage.

“One issue I believe deserves serious attention is Alexander’s drainage and storm water infrastructure,” Bentley says. “As development continues to occur in and around surrounding communities, Alexander must be proactive in identifying available grants and other funding opportunities to upgrade and maintain essential drainage systems.”

“Development changes how water moves across the land,” Bentley continued. “Areas that once absorbed rainfall—such as woods, fields, and other permeable surfaces—can be replaced by homes, streets, driveways, and other impervious surfaces. That can increase the volume and speed of storm water runoff entering existing drainage systems. For a landlocked community like Alexander, planning ahead and investing in adequate infrastructure is critical. I believe the city should not wait until infrastructure fails before addressing these challenges. We should be identifying problem areas, evaluating the capacity of existing systems, pursuing available funding, planning for future development, and making infrastructure decisions based on data and long-term needs.”

To summarize Bentley said he brings a combination of, “professional experience, … attention to details,” … and the ability to, “work with different people.”

“My professional experience has taught me to be prepared, pay attention to details, work with different people, address problems directly, and make decisions based on facts rather than personalities,” Bentley said. “I believe those skills will allow me to bring a practical, professional, and accountable approach to serving Ward 4 and the City of Alexander. I’m not coming to the council with just opinions. I’m bringing experience in engineering, project oversight, problem-solving, public resources, and community involvement and I intend to put that experience to work for the people of Alexander.”


Council Member Juanita Wilson (Incumbent)

Address: 15202 Kent Dr.

Council Member Juanita Wilson has always lived at her current address since moving to Woodland Hills in July, 1978. Woodland Hills was annexed into the City of Alexander in August, 2006.

For nearly 25 years Wilson was employed as an over-the-road truck driver and held a commercial driver’s license. She had to leave that job to take care of her ailing mother until she passed away about two years later in 1998. She began working in home health care in 2000 and eventually retired in 2016.

Wilson added she owned and operated, “Wilson Trucking 15 Yrs,” and was a, “Home health nurse 15 Years.”

By the end of 2026 Wilson will have served a total of 12 years on the city council. She first defeated incumbent Andy Mullins in the 2012 election to represent Ward-2.

Prior to being elected to the city council in 2012, Wilson had not held any other elected position. Wilson first took office on January 1, 2013 and is no stranger to opposition in an election year.

In the 2014 election Mullins took back his seat by defeating Wilson 219 to 209. In the following 2016 election Wilson returned to defeat Mullins again. She has served on the council ever since.

Because the 2020 Census showed wards were unevenly represented, the ward lines were redrawn. The new ward lines became effective in March, 2022. The new ward lines moved Wilson from Ward-2 to Ward-4.

In the 2022 General Election she ran for the Ward-4 Position-2 seat and was opposed by April Cotton. She defeated Cotton and has served in the Ward-4 Position-2 seat since January 1, 2023.

In the 2024 election she was challenged by Trevis Bentley. Wilson won, but Bentley did not respond to the 2024 election questionnaire sent by The Alexandrian.

During the 2013/2014 term on the council, Wilson became a Certified Municipal Official under the Arkansas Municipal League program.

Wilson says she supported improvements to the city and occasionally filled in for absent employees at city hall. She said she, “Helped with city getting infrastructure needed badly. Helped pass legislation that made our parks and streets, fire and other things that our whole city was in need of. Was a city volunteer for many years, helped in city hall when employees were ill, so we did not have to pay someone to replace them, etc..”