Former Bryant PD Officer Files Lawsuit Against Chief & Mayor….Bandido Motor Cycle Gang Tie-In
Dec 12, 2025
If you are a Sons of Anarchy fan, then you are gonna want to follow this case….Just keep in mind this is real.
Today former Bryant PD Officer Shanna Hastings, through her attorney Matt Ingle, filed a lawsuit in Saline County Circuit Court against Chief Karl Minden, Mayor Chris Treat and the City of Bryant.
The Complaint shows that in early July of this year, Hastings began having concerns about Bryant PD Captain Nate Johnson having inappropriate association with the Bandidos Motorcycle gang that filtered into ongoing cases.
The Bandidos are very prevalent in Arkansas and are known to participate in organized crime activities that include drug trafficking, gun trafficking, extortion, prostitution and more.
Acting as a Whistleblower, Hastings took her concerns to her supervisor and Chief Minden. She requested that a formal complaint or investigation be initiated into Johnston’s conduct.
Hasting states Minden’s response was “That’s not how it works.”…..That’s when Hastings says things went south.
She states two of her supervisors lectured her about going to Minden and implied that her concerns reflected a lack of trust in her chain of command.
On July 4th an informal inquiry began on the matter.
On July 9th Hastings met with prosecutor Chris Walton for a case preparation. Walton asked Hastings if she had concerns about Johnston’s conduct in the case. Hastings told him Minden had been informed.
On July 15th Hastings was informed that it was no longer an inquiry but an official investigation and she was then interviewed by Sgt. Nick Dean.
On July 21st Minden met with Hastings and presented her with a termination letter signed by Mayor Chris Treat. The complaint states it cited her conversation with Prosecutor Walton as the basis for the termination.
Minden then sent a request to the State Commission on Law Enforcement Training, (CLEST), to decertify Hastings….That request was denied.
The Complaint asks the Court to declare that Minden and Treat violated Hastings’ rights to Protected Speech and Due Process along with her rights under the Arkansas Whistleblower Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act.
It further asks for a name clearing hearing, purge of all false information in Hastings’ personnel file, retraction of all statements concerning her termination, attorneys’ fees along with compensatory and punitive damages.
Now through a source I found out about this issue yesterday and as I looked into it, I immediately saw parallels to Conway Officer Brittany Byrd’s case, which set off my corruption sensors like a smoke alarm.
I reached out to Hastings and Ingle and got a statement from both.
Hastings said – “I loved my job and had a duty to report what I saw. I did the right thing, and in return, the people that I trusted fired me and tried to ruin my career. I am simply asking that those people be held accountable for the harm they have done to my reputation and my family.”
Ingle followed with – “Detective Hastings, a decorated law enforcement officer, was terminated shortly after reporting suspected misconduct and potential corruption. The facts detailed in the complaint demonstrate that Detective Hastings fulfilled her professional duty to report suspected wrongdoing. We believe this case raises fundamental questions about whether an officer who upholds her oath and reports misconduct will be protected or punished.”
So where now ?
Well for me I’m gonna do that thing I do….A deep dive investigation into everything that took place and bring it all to you.
Now I’m sure that’s going to piss off a lot of Bryant city public officials but all I can tell them is the People Pissed Off at Me Line is pretty damn long….But there’s always room for more.
#FactsNotFiction
You can access all the case filings at this link –
https://caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad/search?context=participants&firstName=Shanna&lastName=Hastings
Professional Bully Fighter I investigate and report on issues around the State of Arkansas with an emphasis on Government. I am strong conservative however I bring Truth and Facts regardless of Party affiliation….My hashtag is #FactsNotFiction
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