Arkansas county clerk arrested outside casino

Thursday, July 14th 2005, 1:59 pm

By: News On 6

WALDRON, Ark. (AP) _ A county clerk's office in Arkansas is under investigation after the clerk and his girlfriend _ a deputy clerk _ were arrested on drug charges outside a casino in eastern Oklahoma.

Scott County, Arkansas, Clerk James Owens and deputy Clerk Lisa Yandell were arrested Tuesday in Pocola after a drug-sniffing dog alerted on their car following a traffic stop. Police Chief Eric Helms says officers found two plastic bags in the car that tested positive for methamphetamine residue.

Owens and Yandell were released Wednesday after posting $15,000 bail each.

Scott County Prosecutor Tom Tatum says he's asking Arkansas State Police to investigate Owens and the state's Legislative Audit Division to look into the accounts of the county clerk's office. And the county judge says he'll ask for a grand jury investigation.