Miller County | City Prosecutor Tommy Potter announces bid for district judge

Texarkana, Ark., City Prosecutor Tommy Potter is announcing his candidacy for district judge of Miller County.

Potter hopes to fill the seat which will be left vacant by the current district judge, Wren Autrey, when he leaves that bench Dec. 31, 2020. Autrey is running for circuit judge of division three of the 8th Judicial District South which will be vacated Dec. 31, 2020, by retiring Circuit Judge Kirk Johnson.

Potter has served as city prosecutor since 2005. He served on the Texarkana, Ark., board of directors from 1999 to 2005 and served as assistant mayor from 2003 to 2005. From 1991 to 1994, Potter served as public defender for Miller and Lafayette Counties. Potter has operated a successful private law practice for 30 years and currently serves as attorney for the Fouke School District.

"While the district court hears traffic, code violations and misdemeanor crimes, it also has jurisdiction over a variety of civil matters. It is often the court where people choose to have contract, property damage and other civil claims decided," Potter said. "My 30 years of experience in these types of cases, coupled with 15 years of experience prosecuting traffic, misdemeanors and other criminal violations, have given me the necessary skills, practical insights and courtroom experiences required of a thoughtful, deliberative and impartial judge."

Potter graduated from Arkansas High School in 1979, received a bachelor's degree from Tulane University in 1985 and earned his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1989.

Potter has volunteered his time with the Boy Scouts of America, serving on the Caddo Area Council's executive board and executive committee. He is involved in the Southwest Arkansas Beekeepers Association and is a member of St. James Episcopal Church.

Potter and his wife, Rebecca Potter, are lifelong residents of Miller County. The couple has two adult children.

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