CAMDEN — Former Ouachita County Judge Mike Hesterly has learned where he will be imprisoned to serve his 33-months sentence for a 2013 scheme to defraud FEMA - an agency of the United States government.
The Camden News has learned that Hesterly has been ordered to serve his prison time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Forrest City.
In December of 2014, Hesterly attend a sentencing hearing at the federal courthouse of the U.S. District Court Western District of Arkansas in El Dorado. The hearing was presided over by District Judge Susan O. Hickey, who also gave Hesterly a fine of $2,500 and ordered him to pay $4,000 in restitution.
The sentence was the result of a plan by Hesterly and Bearden contractor Harry Clemons regarding the clean-up of two tornadoes that struck Ouachita County in October of 2009. The charges stated that Hesterly awarded the disaster clean-up bids to Clemons in exchange for Clemons padding his bid and giving Hesterly a portion of the money for his county judge re-election campaign.
Clemons pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced in November of 2014 to two years probation with the first four months to be spent under home detention with electronic monitoring by an ankle device. He was also fined $2,500 and has to pay restitution of $4,000.
During the hearing for Hesterly in December, Hickey heard testimony from the former judge and his attorney, Jamie Pratt of Camden, regarding the former county judge's medical problems.
Hesterly described how he has undergone two surgeries to help his spinal condition and stated that he has a degenerative disease that affects his neck and spine. Another surgery has been recommended, and Hesterly said he still had COBRA insurance and wanted to use it to pay for the procedure.
Hickey said she was not unsympathetic to Hesterly's plight, and stated that he would be sent to a prison facility that is able to address his medical needs.
Hesterly was not immediately taken into custody, but was told that, after a sufficient place was located for the incarceration, he would have to report to that facility on Feb. 4.
Pratt told the Camden News this week that Hesterly will be housed in the prison in Forrest City which, according to the prison's website, is a low-security federal prison located 85 miles east of Little Rock and 45 miles west of Memphis, Tenn.