Deputy Cited for Passing School Bus, Fired for Ethics Violation

HEBER SPRINGS, Ark. — A sheriff’s deputy here was cited for passing a stopped school bus and then fired for giving conflicting accounts of the incident.

The deputy, who worked for the Cleburne County Sheriff’s Office, was accused of driving his patrol car past the bus as it was unloading students.

Sheriff Chris Brown said in a press release on Wednesday that after getting a complaint about the incident on Feb. 2, statements from witnesses and the deputy were taken. During the investigation, the deputy was placed on administrative leave.

The name of the deputy was not included in the press release, but the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette identified him as Todd Maxey, 44.

Brown said the investigation found that “the deputy had indeed committed the traffic violation,” and he was cited for the offense of passing a stopped school bus.

Also, the internal investigation found that the deputy “violated the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics by providing contradicting stories of the above incident,” according to Brown, and the deputy was fired for the ethics violation. The sheriff noted that the passing of the school bus was not a determining factor in the termination.

“Any time an ethics violation occurs, it will be investigated, and proper and fair action will be taken,” Brown said. “We believe that transparency is vital to a thriving and productive relationship with the citizens we serve.”