AG Tim Griffin Dismisses Charges Against Cabot Businessman Nathan Pruss
Feb 1, 2025
So, if someone robbed a Bank….Was caught, arrested and charged but they then gave the money back…. Should the Prosecutor drop the charges ?
Tell ya what, just put that in the back of your mind for right now and we’ll revisit that question at the end of the article.
Nathan Pruss is a prominent businessman in Cabot AR. He is most known for owning Bruno’s Power Sports.
Pruss owns nine other companies as well, one of which is Bruno’s Right Away Mowing.
Lonoke County Judge Doug Erwin contracts Bruno’s Right Away Mowing to mow ditches on County roads.
In July of 2022, I sent a Freedom of Information request to the Lonoke County Clerk for Invoices from Bruno’s Right Away Mowing.
I discovered Bruno’s was submitting duplicate Invoices to Judge Erwin who was approving payment of them to the tune of $132,679.00.
I brought the matter to the Lonoke County Quorum Court to no avail, so I reported the matter to the Public Integrity Division of the Attorney General’s Office.
They began an investigation which led to Pruss being arrested by them and charged with Felony Theft of Property in June of 2024.
AG Tim Griffin then assigned his Senior Assistant AG Jeanna Sherill to prosecute the case.
The trial was set for January 29th of this month however in a stunning turn of events on January 24th, Sherill introduced a motion in the case to Lonoke County Circuit Judge Barbara Elmore to Nolle Prosequi Pruss.
Nolle Prosequi means a voluntary dismissal of criminal charges by the prosecution.
If that motion by Sherill bewilders you, don’t feel alone because it appears to have bewildered Judge Elmore as well.
On January 27th, Judge Elmore issued an order granting the motion while adding in handwriting on the order “State of Arkansas request. Court has no choice.”
My take is Judge Elmore is saying – Hey don’t look at me….This is all on the AG Griffin.
On Friday I spoke with Jeff LeMaster who is the Communications Director for Griffin and asked for a statement.
Later that day, LeMaster emailed me the following statement from Griffin –
“Last year, prosecutors in my office charged Nathan Pruss with one count of Theft of Property, a Class C Felony, for double-invoicing Lonoke County for services rendered by his company, Bruno’s Right Away/Right Away Mowing, in the amount of $18,642. Mr. Pruss reached an agreement with my office in which he paid back all money that was double-invoiced to the county, including amounts for which the statute of limitations had expired, and my office has dropped the charge against him.”
“The total amount paid back to the Lonoke County Treasurer is $93,776.67. I am grateful to Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeanna Sherrill and Assistant Attorney General Alexa Vetsch for their outstanding work on this case, and I am pleased to see this issue resolved.”
When I read Griffin’s statement, I went from bewildered to dumbfounded.
I twice texted Pruss’s attorney, Andy Ballard, asking for an interview or statement on the dismissal.
I have not received a response, and I don’t blame Ballard for not responding.
Griffin just handed his client a get out of jail free card….Smart move is to take it and shut up.
As I’m sure you are, I’m still trying to wrap my head around why Griffin dismissed the charges.
I mean on June 7th 2024, Griffin put out a big press release and was all over social media touting his Office making the arrest.
Now he is saying to the taxpayers – Pruss stole your money but hey he paid it back, so you know what….No harm no foul.
If you are reading this and saying to yourself “What The Hell !” then I’m right there with you.
So now that you have all the facts, let’s go ahead and revisit that question I led with.
So, if someone robbed a Bank….Was caught, arrested and charged but they then gave the money back…. Should the Prosecutor drop the charges ?
I really can’t wait to hear the responses on this one !
#FactsNotFiction
#TeamPink
Jimmie.cavin@yahoo.com
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
Wow Jimmie!
Thanks for that input. Is the AG running for anything in the near future so we can remind the voters how criminals with money are treated verses us peasants?
If it were a clerical error, that fact would have led the information regarding dropping the charges. Don’t you think??
That sounds about right! MY question is this: How about these 3 people I know of who have had the same charges for just over $25,000 and they STILL carry the felony charge AND the money was repaid?????? How can we get them off??? Is this a new standard???? LAWDY have mercy on us! AND HOW do we get rid of this guy and his entourage???
Quote, the 1st Marquis de Halifax, George Savile; “ Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen.” Think on that !
Typical Jimmy Cavin article. Anyone knows with any common sense for the attorney general to drop anything there has to be more to this. Really sounds to me after looking into this it was a clerical error. I don’t see anyone with supposedly nine businesses sitting down to do invoices???
it’s not who you know it’s who you blow
let’s not forget that the Prosecutor refused to do his job and file charges. let’s not forget the AG fought all the way to the Supreme Court to prosecute, only for everything to be dropped.
let’s not forget them during the next election.
I had suspected some shadiness with a case i got caught up in that Kassen was the prosecutor for a woman that wrote contradicting affidavits as well as exposed lying 3 or 4 times on the stand. For the case to go the way it did the only thing that makes sense is Kassen being paid or something to continue on with the case knowing there were contradicting statements. She motioned the court to drop the charges and no contact order due to the 2nd affidavit which I have the emails from her to the girl to prove. My dad went to the sheriff over the matter and was told that I have to let it all play out first before they could do anything about perjury or falsifying statements. Now I can’t figure out who to go to that can investigate all this and expose Kassen for knowingly prosecuting someone when the witnesses credibility was compromised. There’s more to this story too….