City Officer

Officer Jeff Parsons

Benton Police, K-9 Patrol

Jeff was born in La Mirada, CA, which is near Los Angeles. When he was five years old, his dad, a Santa Anna, CA Policeman at the time and currently a Bauxite Police Officer, moved the family to Benton, AR. Jeff and his three brothers all went into the emergency response business. His brother, Aaron, is currently a Costa Mesa, CA Police Officer assigned to that department’s Gang Squad. His other brother, Ryan, is a U.S. Coast Guard Sailor stationed in Maui, HI and brother Michael is currently training to become a firefighter at the Arkansas Fire Academy in Camden, AR.

Jeff says that he was inspired to get involved with law enforcement after hearing his dad’s stories of life as a cop. When he was seventeen, and too young to become a policeman in Arkansas, Jeff decided to become a U.S. Marine Corps Military Policeman. However, it turned out that USMC MP’s had to be nineteen years old.

So, Jeff began taking college classes at UALR Benton. He took the basic classes and Introduction to Criminal Justice. It was around this period that Jeff discovered and immediately applied for the cadet job at the Benton Police Department. This was a paid, uniformed position that would provide a low risk introduction to the world of law enforcement.

After working as a cadet for two years answering telephones and shuffling paper, Jeff finally became a Benton Police Officer. Jeff attended ALETA Class 2002C. Jeff has received two Letters of Commendation from the Benton Police Chief. Both incidents involve the apprehension of fleeing suspects who were armed. Jeff was a member of his agency’s Emergency Response Team, which closely resembles what most people refer to as the SWAT team.

He is currently one of two Field Training Officers and serves as the only K-9 handler for the Benton Police Department.

Jeff’s K-9 partner is Rudy, a 4.5 year old German Shepherd. Rudy is a narcotic detection dog. He is from Germany and was trained by Tony Smith of Little Rock K-9 Academy. Rudy was already trained when Jeff picked him up from the former Benton K-9 officer. After a one week training course at the Little Rock K-9 Academy, Jeff began to patrol with Rudy. They have been working together for only two months and have already seized over 20 grams of illicit drugs from the streets of Benton.

Jeff has been riding motorcycles since he was eighteen years old, but did not own a motorcycle until after he became a police officer. His first bike was a Suzuki GZ 250. He traded it for a Kawasaki KX 250 which is a big change in riding. He went from a small, tame, entry-level street bike to a monster of a racing dirt bike. He said he loved riding fast in the dirt, but eventually landed wrong on a jump and hurt his knee. That knee is still giving him trouble years later.

After the episode with the racing bike, Jeff wanted to get back on a motorcycle. He wasn’t seriously shopping around to buy another bike. Then one day, he saw a bike for sale on a car lot and had to have the unique looking machine. He stopped and looked at the Italian, 1998 Moto Guzzi EV California motorcycle. It has an 1,100cc engine and resembles a Harley Davidson motorcycle – a little bit.

The most fun Jeff ever had on his motorcycle took place in August of 2005. He and fellow Benton Police Officer Cpl. Jason New RODE their bikes to the annual motorcycle event in Sturgis, South Dakota. It was a 3,211-mile roundtrip journey that required two days of riding each way.

Jeff said that he loved the scenery in South Dakota. He especially liked the way creeks flowed through the mountains. During the trip, he and Jason joined the Spearfish Canyon Run Tour. This tour is a scenic, riding stretch of highway between Sturgis and Spearfish. There are many stops along the way and everybody had a good time.

Jeff saw Orange County Choppers’ Paul Senior and Paul Junior (from the Discovery Channel’s “American Chopper”), but the line was extremely long and the weather was too hot to stand in line that long for a “possible” picture with them.

Jeff saw and talked with several Sturgis Auxiliary Police Officers during the trip. He said they were stationed every hundred feet or so through the main, congested motorcycle infested area. They looked like bikers with long, ZZ Top looking beards, but they were wearing Sturgis Police t-shirts and carrying handheld radios.

Everybody from grandmothers to Hell’s Angels were there. All types of food, clothing and motorcycle accessory vendors were present. According to Jeff “The main area is so clogged up with people and bikes; many times it’s faster to walk than to try and ride somewhere.”

There were no problems on the ride up. However, on the way back to Arkansas, they were rained on for a while and Jeff noticed that his bike was leaking gas. They had to pull into a bike shop to fix that. The gas leak was ultimately fixed, but the mechanic had to remove parts of the oil delivery system in order to repair the leak. In doing so, a gasket was ripped and not replaced properly. This particular Italian gasket would have to be ordered if the new problem was to be fixed. Instead, Jeff rode the bike and kept careful watch on his oil pressure.

Jeff said he had a great time and will definitely go again. But next time he says he will either trailer the foreign motorcycle or ride up there on a bike that replacement parts are easier to come by.

 County Officer

Chief Deputy
Stan McGahee

Dallas County Sheriff's Department

Dallas County Sheriff's Deputy Stan McGahee was born in Homer, La., in 1966. He came to Arkansas in 1976, where he eventually met his wife, Mary Alice, while living in West Helena. They have been married for 28 years and have one son, Stanton, who is currently studying criminal justice at Arkansas Tech in Russellville. Stanton hopes to become a U.S. Customs agent.

Stan holds an Associates Degree in Business Management from Northwestern State University, Natchitoches, La., and enjoyed a very successful 22-year-career in the grocery industry before retiring in 1998.

Managing the grocery business was not Stan's only job. He has served the Fordyce Volunteer Fire Department for 24 years and currently ranks as a Senior Driver/Operator with that department.

During the 1980s, Stan served as a member of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department Reserve Program and eventually attained the rank of captain. While serving as a reserve deputy, Stan became fascinated with the scientific aspects of criminal investigation and ran for the office of Dallas County Coroner. He was elected in 1989 and ran that office for four years.

After his stint as coroner, Stan decided he was ready to go back into retirement. During his second attempt at retirement, he fully restored a 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS. It is his current "show car" that he takes throughout Arkansas and surrounding states to compete in car shows. Stan has enjoyed cars since he was 16 years old and has been a member of KKOA (Kustom Kemps of America) for more than 40 years. "Kemps" is what cool
cars were called back in the '50s and '60s. Stan says that he wins something every time he enters a car in a competition. Over the years he has brought home more than 50 awards that include Best of Show, Best Paint and Best Interior. He said that his most frequent award is "Period Perfect," which is awarded to the vehicle that best depicts the period it represents. The Impala was featured in the October Issue of "Good Guys Magazine," an international vintage car publication.

Stan says that he is very happy doing what he's always done -- take care of his family, his car, and the people of Arkansas, and praising the Lord with his church family at Eagle Mills Baptist Church in Eagle Mills, Ark.

  State Officer

Corporal Yvonne
Van Horn

Arkansas State Capitol Police

The Arkansas State Capitol Police are responsible for maintaining the peace and quiet of the State Capitol Complex. The Complex includes all state-owned buildings and grounds in the vicinity of the Capitol Building.

These buildings include the State Library, the Arkansas Crime Information Center Headquarters, the Arkansas Law Officer Memorial, the Arkansas Supreme Court building and more.

Yvonne was born in Little Rock in 1963 and grew up in Lonoke. She attended Lonoke High School and graduated in 1981. While attending school, she was a member of the school band’s flag-line. She was also a member of the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), FHA, and 4H.

While growing up, Yvonne’s family home fell victim to a killer tornado that swept through Central Arkansas in 1975. The storm killed 3 people that day. Fortunately, her family survived with no injuries and her home only suffered partial destruction.

Upon completion of high school, Yvonne enrolled at Capitol City Junior College. She put herself through college by working 40 hours per week at Burger King. When she hired on, she was making $3.35 per hour. She worked hard and earned a promotion to Shift Leader.

She had her sights set on other goals and left Burger King upon graduating college in 1984. She departed college with a well earned B.A. in Business.

Yvonne enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1987. Her MOS was 71L which placed her within the field of Military Administration. After graduating from boot camp at Ft. Dix, N.J., Spc. (E-4) Van Horn returned to Arkansas where she was assigned to the 460th Chemical Brigade stationed at Camp Robinson. She remained in the reserves until 1990.

In 1992, Yvonne became interested in the field of law enforcement. She went to work for the Lonoke Police Department where she was distinguished as the first black, female patrol officer.

This designation was recognized and awarded by the NAACP as a major accomplishment in the furtherance of equal opportunity for not only people of color, but for women as well.

In 1994, Yvonne was offered a significantly higher salary by the Lonoke County Sheriff. She left the Lonoke Police Department and went to work for the Sheriff where she remained until going to work for UAMS Police in 1997.

Yvonne worked as a UAMS Patrol officer until 1999 when she was hired by the State Capitol Police Department.

Officer Van Horn had only been at the State Capitol a short time before receiving a Lifesaving Award.

Yvonne was on duty when a vehicle crashed near the grounds of the Capitol. She responded to the scene. When she arrived she was able to distinguish between the signs and clues of an intoxicated driver and symptoms of a person suffering an extreme diabetic emergency. Yvonne was able to find a piece of candy for the victim which reversed the diabetic condition. The rescue team that responded credited Yvonne with saving the life of the victim.

In August of 2003, Yvonne passed the Arkansas Board of Real Estate Sales Brokers and became a Real Estate Agent working for Crye-Leike Realty in Little Rock. She closed on her first house only two months after becoming a Real Estate Agent and says she has even found and sold houses for her coworkers at the Capitol.

Yvonne says she loves this second job so much, she claims it as a hobby, and WILL close at least one property per month. She says she is a people person and loves helping people with their real estate business. She admitted the extra money from sales commissions add to the joy of selling.

Yvonne has one daughter, Symone, with whom she is very proud. She is 15 years old and attends Central High School in Little Rock. Symone is purportedly a very talented artist. She is a member of the Art Club and, like her mother, a member of the Future Business Leaders of America.

Cpl. Van Horn is proud to have come from a loving family with strong ties to the Church of Deliverance in Lonoke. Her dad is the Bishop of the congregation and runs the services in a casual ‘come as you are’, Pentecostal atmosphere of love and praise.

Yvonne volunteers at the church in the form of a youth Leader’s Assistant. She loves the church and the children and felt compelled to give something back in recognition of all of her family’s blessings. And she really enjoys chaperoning the annual Youth Trip to Six Flags Amusement Park in Dallas, Texas.

Collecting Currency became a hobby of Yvonne’s after a quick trip to Windsor, Canada. She said she really enjoys the different colors of the different money from Canada. Her foreign money collection is relatively small now, but she plans on visiting several islands in the Caribbean soon and she will certainly add to her collection.

She flew to Canada in 1992 for an (at that time unapproved in the U.S.) eye surgery called Radial Keratotomy which corrects near sightedness. She said it’s the most liberating experience of her life and she could see much better only minutes after the surgery.

Yvonne recommends to everyone that they absolutely must have dinner at Saddle Creek in North Little Rock. She says she orders aged beef steak during every visit. She says the pricing is a little richer than what most people may be used to, but it is well worth it. She said she recommended Saddle Creek to a coworker and he called her on the cell phone before ordering and wanted her to co-sign the loan for one of the steaks! He ultimately ordered the delicious cheeseburger.

Cpl. Van Horn would like everyone to know that she has thoroughly enjoyed her tenure at the State Capitol and wishes everyone could have a job they love as much as she loves hers.

 Retired Officer