LITTLE ROCK-An Arkansas sheriff's deputy who was arrested last month on charges of attacking a man shouldn't be allowed to continue working in law enforcement
in the state, his former employer recommended.
Pulaski County patrol deputy Daniel Scott Cantwell was arrested in Saline County on Sept. 17 on charges of battery, assault and making terroristic threats for allegedly hitting Allen Craig in the face and threatening to kill him, according to his arrest report.
Saline County sheriff's office said Craig was taken to the hospital with a severe laceration under his left eye, but that his injuries weren't life-threatening.
Cantwell resigned from Pulaski County deputy position on Sept. 20 amid an internal investigation. He previously resigned from the Pine Bluff Police Department in 2015 for personal reasons, according to records.
The Pulaski County sheriff's office has recommended that the state's Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training decertify Cantwell as a law enforcement officer in the state, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. It obtained the document through a Freedom of Information Act request.
"I'm not pleased that he was involved in that incident," Pulaski County Sheriff Doc Holladay said.
A law enforcement agency provides the commission with evidence and documentation when recommending a decertification, said Brad King, deputy director for the
commission. He said the commission will vote to decide whether the decertification process moves forward.
King said most officers facing decertification don't contest it. He said the circumstances for each case are varied, but most officers that face decertification are accused of violating a policy. He said violations include lying in an internal investigation and misbehavior with the public.