HOPE — After a bench trial on November 4, 2025, the Honorable District Court Judge Dana Stone found the first Hempstead County resident guilty of violating County Ordinance No. 25-10, which was enacted earlier this year to address the problem of uncontrolled animals.

“Sheriff James Singleton and all of the Quorum Court members involved in its approval have our appreciation,” Prosecuting Attorney Ben Hale said.

The case was opened on September 27, 2025, when Sheriff’s Deputy Kristen Evans responded to Southwest Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Hope where a four-year-old boy was being treated for multiple dog bites to the face. The case was investigated by Jeremy McBride who determined Jimmy Singleton owned the dog, a German Shepherd, which was permitted to exit his residence into an u

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