September 17, 2024
SEARCY, Ark. — On Wednesday, September 11, 2024, Joseph Rudick, 67, of McCrory, entered a no-contest plea and was found guilty in Woodruff County Circuit Court of felony Second-Degree Battery on a Law Enforcement Officer.
On Tuesday, November 7, 2023, The Woodruff County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) requested an investigation by the Arkansas State Police (ASP) Criminal Investigation Division (CID) after an altercation occurred between Rudick and Woodruff County Sheriff Phil Reynolds in a beanfield near Three Forks Road in Woodruff County around 6:30 p.m. that same evening.
Sheriff Reynolds and Rudick engaged in a physical altercation after the sheriff responded to assist in putting out a combine fire. Sheriff Reynolds took Rudick into custody before contacting ASP for assistance. ASP arrested Rudick on November 8, 2023.
Rudick was sentenced to three years of probation and was ordered to pay the WCSO restitution of $3,000.