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Barnett, Wright plead guilty to abusing nephew, stepson; both sentenced to 20 years

Jaclyn Barnett and Daniel Wright pleaded guilty Monday morning in Baxter County Circuit Court and were sentenced to 20 years each in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, ending one of the most disturbing child abuse cases in north central Arkansas history without a trial. Circuit Judge Andrew S. Bailey accepted the plea agreements and signed…

ByChris FultonMay 19, 20260Comments

Crime Events Feature Government News

Painter: New DHS overhaul coming, lawmakers pressing Sanders to fire staff

A working group of state legislators is drafting a comprehensive overhaul of the Arkansas Department of Human Services, with plans to file the legislation in November for the 2027 regular session. Some of their colleagues are not waiting. State Rep. Stetson Painter, R-Mountain Home, told the Mountain Home Observer on Monday that some legislators have…

ByChris FultonApril 28, 20260Comments

Crime Events Feature Government Health News People

‘There has not been disciplinary action’: DHS admits no consequences after child torture case

For 11 years, teachers called. School resource officers called. Healthcare workers called. Twenty-nine times, mandated reporters and concerned citizens dialed Arkansas's child abuse hotline to report a boy being abused in Mountain Home. Twenty-nine times, the state closed the case as "unsubstantiated." On Tuesday, Arkansas Department of Human Services officials told lawmakers that despite discovering…

ByChris FultonOctober 10, 20250Comments

Crime Events Government News People

Ethredge to add kidnapping charges against Mountain Home couple in child torture case

Baxter County Prosecutor David Ethredge announced Tuesday his office is preparing to add kidnapping charges against the couple accused of locking a teenager naked in a bathroom for years, bringing their total charges to 113 counts each. Daniel Wright, 41, and Jaclyn Barnett, 42, currently face 112 counts each of first-degree false imprisonment, endangering the…

ByChris FultonOctober 10, 20250Comments

Local Mountain Home, AR News