As Prosecuting Attorney Larry Jegley works through a backlog of cases that developed because of COVID-19 restrictions, he’s preparing for his last 18 months in office.
“There’s a huge backlog,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of very serious crimes like homicides and sex offenses … that we’re going to be processing over the next several months. And some of them will plead [guilty] and some of them won’t.”
Jegley, the prosecuting attorney for the Sixth Judicial District of Arkansas, which covers Pulaski and Perry counties, announced in May that he won’t seek re-election for his term ending Dec. 31, 2022. At that time, he will have served 25 years as prosecuting attorney.
Jegley, who turns 69 on Nov. 1, said health issues prompted the decision not to run for another term.
For about the last 10 months he’s been dealing with a chronic vertigo issue that hasn’t been diagnosed. His wife, Angela, a career assistant U.S. attorney who retired last year, told him to use his energy to get well instead of running for re-election, he said. “It was a tough decision, but she’s right.”
Alicia Walton, a Pulaski County public defender, and Will Jones, a chief deputy prosecuting attorney for the 11th West Judicial District, which covers Jefferson County, have announced they are running for the open nonpartisan seat.
Jegley said as of now he’s not planning on making an endorsement. “Right now, I’m just going to sit back and do the job,” he said. “I’m going to concentrate on handing off what I think is one of the premier state prosecuting attorney’s offices in the country.”
The office has 47 lawyers and 70 support staff employees, which would make it one of the largest law firms in the state ranked by the number of attorneys.
Jegley said to be a good prosecutor, a person needs “compassion for others, principle, courage, good judgment and a keen sense of right and wrong.” He also said a prosecutor can’t let politics get in the way of making a decision.
Growing up in Little Rock, Jegley graduated from Catholic High School and went to Hendrix College in Conway, where he decided to become a lawyer.
After receiving his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law, Jegley worked as the legal adviser for the North Little Rock Police Department, staff attorney at the Arkansas Public Service Commission and chief staff attorney for the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
Mark Stodola became Pulaski County prosecuting attorney in 1991, and asked Jegley to be his chief deputy.
“I wanted somebody that I had total confidence in and total trust,” Stodola said. “And Larry absolutely was an individual who I could hold in confidence and trust.”
When Stodola left office in 1996, Jegley announced he was going to run for the open position. “I never even saw myself running for office,” Jegley said. But he said he enjoyed helping victims and their families and holding people accountable.
Jegley has been elected eight times, and each time he’s been unopposed — a rare accomplishment for a position as competitive as the prosecutor’s office, Stodola said.
“I think it’s a great tip of the hat to Larry that his … own lawyer colleagues didn’t feel that they could take him on and beat him in the course of all these elections,” Stodola said.
Jegley said that when he leaves office he’s going to miss playing a significant role in a young attorney’s professional and personal development, helping victims and working with defense attorneys.
“I’ll miss the judges,” Jegley said. “I’ve alway enjoyed interacting with them. So there’s a lot that I’m going to miss.”
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