Former officer sentenced to probation over inmate attack

FORT SMITH — A fired northwest Arkansas police officer was sentenced to four years' probation after pleading guilty to felony battery for kneeing an inmate in the face.

Christopher Munoz Brownlow, 33, also faces various fines and fees in addition to the seconddegree battery charge for attacking an inmate at the Logan County jail last year, according to court records.

The former police officer in Paris, Arkansas, entered his guilty plea Friday in Logan County Circuit Court.

An inmate in a cell became “irate' and began yelling and kicking the door when Brownlow was dropping off inmates at the Logan County jail on Sept. 14, 2019, a probable cause affidavit says. A detention officer asked for the inmate to be restrained. But when Brownlow and another officer arrived at the cell, they found the man calm, lying on his cot, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Wednesday.

Brownlow told the inmate he would be restrained even though the man told the officers he would calm down, according to the affidavit. After that, Brownlow kneed the man in the left side of his face “in a diving motion,” the affidavit says.

The inmate suffered several fractures around his eye and another in his jaw and had to undergo surgery to insert a titanium plate and screws in his face, according to the affidavit.

Brownlow's sentence includes nearly $2,000 in fines and fees in addition to monthly payments of $50 and $10 administration fee, starting on Nov. 20.

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PARAGOULD — In separate events, members of the 2nd Judicial District’s Drug Task Force-North have arrested two Paragould men on numerous felony drug charges. In the first incident, they arrested Nicholas Allen Burks, 28, on charges of one count each of:

• Possession of firearms during drug offenses, a Class Y felony

• Possession of a firearm by a felon in connection with other offenses, a Class B felony

• Theft of a firearm valued at less than $2,500, a Class D felony

• Possession of less than two grams of a Schedule I/II controlled substance (other than methamphetamine or cocaine), a Class D felony

• Possession of drug paraphernalia to ingest, etc. a Class D felony According to a probable cause affidavit sworn by Detective Lt. Steve Snyder, of the Street Crimes Unit (SCU), the arrest took place Sept. 15 as the result of information developed the previous day by the Task Force in conjunction with the SCU that Burks, reported to be a parole absconder, was living at 409 Bard Road, Number 9.

At that time, Snyder wrote, he contacted Arkansas Community Corrections Special Response Team (ACC SRT) members and together with them attempted to locate Burks.

Going to the listed residence on Sept. 15, Snyder and the ACC SRT found the door open and Burks sitting on a couch “among a heap of property.” Upon seeing Snyder and the SRT, he allegedly dropped something on the floor before finally showing his hands to the officers and follow-

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