November 15, 2024
EUDORA, Ark. — On Friday, November 15, 2024, former Eudora Police Chief Michael Pitts, 46, pleaded no contest to misdemeanor Third-Degree Battery charges in connection to an October 2023 assault in Eudora.
The Tenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney asked ASP’s Special Investigations Unit in November 2023 to investigate allegations of crimes committed by Chief Pitts the previous month. Arkansas State Police (ASP) arrested Pitts on January 30, 2024.
On October 26, 2023, Chief Pitts was dispatched to a gas station in Eudora with a request to remove a man who was causing a disruption at the business. ASP investigators determined that Chief Pitts illegally detained John Hill Jr., 48, and transported him to a remote location in Chicot County. Chief Pitts assaulted Hill and left him injured and stranded.
Pitts received a one-year suspended sentence and a $500 fine. He is to have no contact with the victim or the victim’s family.