Law enforcement officers from across the state were honored Thursday as Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin hosted the 2025 Officer of the Year Awards luncheon in Little Rock. Griffin praised the honorees as exemplary public servants who “put their lives on the line so that Arkansans can live in peace and safety.”
The event recognized officers for outstanding service at the statewide, regional, and county levels, as well as recipients of the Valor Tribute and Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award.
Statewide & Regional Award Winners
Statewide Officer of the Year: Trooper Hunter Grubbs, Arkansas State Police
Northeast Region: Corporal Chris Barnett, Corporal Dustin Carpenter, Corporal Marcus Simpson, Arkansas State Police
Southeast Region: Officer Kevin Robbins, Star City Police Department
Southwest Region: Trooper Hunter Grubbs, Arkansas State Police
Central Region: Special Agent Dustin Thompson, Arkansas State Police
Northwest Region: Corporal Dylan Gresham and Officer Drew Walker, Eureka Springs Police Department
Valor Tribute: Sergeant Fredrick T. Coleman Sr., Arkansas Department of Corrections
Dwayne Yarbrough Distinguished Service Award: School Resource Officer Ray Borel (ret.), Lakeside School District & Hot Springs Police Department
Griffin highlighted Trooper Grubbs’ remarkable year, including 67 felony arrests, 94 misdemeanors, 115 warrants, multiple pursuits, DWI arrests, accident investigations, and more than 100 hours assisting other agencies.
County Officers of the Year (All 75 Counties)
Arkansas County: Deputy Charles Leech
Ashley County: Corporal Matt Brooks
Baxter County: Special Agent Aaron Middleton
Benton County: Deputy Hunter Hatfield
Boone County: Officer Josiah Smith
Bradley County: Investigator Kendall Rawls
Calhoun County: Game Warden Tyler Asher
Carroll County: Corporal Dylan Gresham, Officer Drew Walker
Chicot County: Trooper David Menotti Jr.
Clark County: Trooper Sean Weston
Clay County: Trooper Christian Underwood
Cleburne County: Corporal Briston Gould
Columbia County: Trooper First Class Brian Palmer
Conway County: Special Agent Kristen Dumont
Craighead County: Sergeant David Stout
Crawford County: Detective Jason Cooper
Crittenden County: Special Agent Aundrae Mack
Cross County: Trooper First Class Bake Irvin
Dallas County: Trooper James Reed
Desha County: Sergeant Roland Brown
Drew County: Trooper Mitchell Butler
Faulkner County: Lieutenant Taylor Decker
Franklin County: Trooper Thurman Lunsford
Garland County: Trooper Hunter Grubbs
Grant County: Corporal Harlee Robinson
Greene County: Trooper Richard Drum
Hempstead County: Corporal Charlie Featherston
Hot Spring County: Trooper John Crow
Howard County: Trooper Micah Brown
Independence County: Sergeant Dalton Wallace
Izard County: Special Agent Drew Widner
Jackson County: Corporals Barnett, Carpenter, Simpson
Jefferson County: Special Agent Dustin Thompson
Johnson County: Patrolmen William Gilbreth, Nicholas Milholland
Lafayette County: Chief Victor Rose
Lawrence County: Trooper First Class Isaac Lawson
Lee County: Trooper Dillon Pigue
Lincoln County: Officer Kevin Robbins
Little River County: Chief Boyd Kennemore
Logan County: Trooper First Class Skyler McElroy
Madison County: Corporal Levi Watkins
Marion County: Chief John Spence
Miller County: Corporal Wesley Penny
Mississippi County: Trooper First Class Blaine Middlecoff
Monroe County: Chief Ed Randle
Montgomery County: Deputy Michael Wojcuilewicz
Nevada County: Corporal Christina Bussey
Newton County: Senior Special Agent Becky Vacco
Ouachita County: Deputy Leslie Herring
Perry County: Corporal Seth Race
Phillips County: Detective Nathanial Banks
Pike County: Special Agent Christopher Harper
Poinsett County: Trooper Nash Thomas
Polk County: Corporal Bo Hayes
Pope County: Detective Benjamin Tucker
Prairie County: Chief Bradley Taylor
Pulaski County: Corporal David Harrell
Randolph County: Corporal Zachary Paschal
St. Francis County: Captain Allan Spencer
Saline County: Officer Cameron Tipton
Scott County: Corporal Billy Turnipseed
Searcy County: Special Agent Paul Robson
Sebastian County: Detective Eric Restine
Sevier County: Chief Scott Simmons
Sharp County: Trooper First Class Quinton Maag
Stone County: Reserve Officer John Morrow
Washington County: Corporal Nannette Meers
White County: Special Agent Jeremy Hughes
Woodruff County: Sergeant Sherman Cohen, Captain Andrew Gonzales
Yell County: Officer David Alcocer
Griffin praised all honorees and the thousands of officers statewide who protect Arkansas communities daily.
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