Joey McCutchen (PHOTO: LinkedIn)

NORTH LITTLE ROCK – As Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other officials look to build a new prison in Franklin County, critics of the project have continued to lament a lack of transparency about the planning details, including how the site was selected with little public input from those in the area.

The site, an 815-acre plat near Charleston, was bought for $2,950,000 in a deal announced on October 31st. One of those who has been outspoken in his criticisms about the selection process is Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, who is a noted advocate of the Freedom of Information Act and transparency processes in government.

Tuesday, McCutchen attended a planning meeting of some fifty state employees and officials at the Department of Corrections headquarters in North Little Rock which he says was “behind closed doors and behind closed gates.” When he arrived at what he assumed was a public government meeting, McCutchen says he was promptly asked to leave the premises.

“The Department of Corrections security Jim Cheek said he had called the North Little Rock PD and said I would be charged w criminal trespass if I did not leave,” McCutchen said on social media. “He told me Department of Corrections Secretary (Lindsay) Wallace said the meeting was not a public meeting. Say what?”

McCutchen, who had plenty of questions about the process before Tuesday, now says he has plenty more after his experience. In his post, he noted that he had only found out about the meeting in documents procured through the Freedom of Information Act.

“When is a public meeting not a public meeting?” McCutchen queried. “What are all the bureaucrats, consultants and the Governor hiding?”

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While many public officials in Franklin County said they weren’t aware of the selection of this site ahead of time, Governor Sanders says she worked with stakeholders in the area ahead of time. In an October 31st interview with KDYN Radio station owner Marc Dietz, the Governor maintained that officials in the area were informed, though she did not specifically say who.

“Look, we’ve made no no secret about the fact that public safety is one of the biggest priorities that we have, and that one of the biggest needs that we not only have heard from a lot of those individuals, but also the funding in order for us to do this has come from a great partnership with our legislature,” Sanders said. “And so for the last year and a half, we have been very public about the fact that we are going to build a new prison here in the state, and looking for the right location. And as we’ve made additional steps and made progress, we made notification outreach to those stakeholders, and we’re going to continue to work with them throughout this process.”

The Governor also indicated that the land buy was a very early step in an ongoing timeline on the project.

“This is just the very first step and a long road ahead, and we want to be great partners with them,” Sanders said. “We’ll continue to work closely and alongside them as we take the next steps, and ultimately are able to open this prison and continue focusing on our state’s public safety.”

Regarding Tuesday’s meeting, McCutchen has not indicated as to whether he will take legal action regarding his ejection from the Department of Corrections premises.

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