Red Bank residents seek chief answers

A few weeks removed from a controversial firing, Red Bank officials thought they were back to honoring senior citizens, updating stimulus projects and passing dog park resolutions.

Then Red Bank resident Pam Stone took the microphone.

"Mr. City Manager, this question is for you," Mrs. Stone said Tuesday night to Chris Dorsey. "I read in a number of newspaper articles ... that there were dropped complaints from Chief Sneed's file. So I take from that there is, in fact, a complaint process. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Mr. Dorsey answered.

"Rather than rush to the firing that was done so abruptly, if there were complaints lodged, why didn't we go through the process that was already in place?" Mrs. Stone asked.

At that point, City Attorney Arnold Stulce, sitting at the dais with the city commissioners, turned to his right, pointed directly at Mr. Dorsey and said, "Don't respond."

The exchange came at the end of the second Red Bank Board of Commissioners meeting since Mr. Dorsey fired longtime police chief Larry Sneed without offering many details behind the decision.

Since then, Mr. Sneed's attorneys have filed a lawsuit against Red Bank, asking for a $1.5 million sum worth 29 percent of the city's $5.1 million budget.

"I'm a firm believer that, if the commissioners and the city manager stepped out the bounds of their authority, then the city shouldn't be involved in that at all," Red Bank resident Royce Burrage said after the meeting. "We shouldn't have any liability."

Mr. Stulce recently wrote that Commissioners Greg Jones and Floy Pierce met privately with Mr. Dorsey and one police officer to discuss concerns surrounding Mr. Sneed's management style.

The attorney's statement also said Vice Mayor Monty Millard had nothing to do with that meeting, despite his two recent arrests conducted by the Red Bank Police Department.

At the start of 2014, the team behind Big Orange announced plans to open a brewery, and then were able to make it happen before the end of the year. Officially opened the weekend before Christmas, here are a few things to know before you visit Lost Forty Brewing, a Q&A with the head brewer, and a photo tour of the facility. (Oh, and also this year, Big Orange — along with liquor stores around the state — began filling growlers.)

Diamond Bear Brewing Co. moved it's headquarters from Little Rock to North Little Rock this year (and now they offer food!). Also new to DB in 2014? Southern Blonde in can form.

We held our first-ever Sync Craft Beer Tournament, narrowing a field of 32 regional beers down to 16, eight, four and then finally a winner. (Here's a recap of how we picked which beers to include, in case you're wondering.)

In April, there was noise of new brews making their way to Arkansas shelves. Local distillery Rock Town had similar news as its rum hit local shelves shortly after. This year also saw the ABC working to catch up with the boom of craft breweries in the state in terms of regulation.

Two independent brewers — Matt Foster and Josiah Moody — kept us up-to-date on what their recent endeavors in the world of brewing, and nanobrewery Stone's Throw Brewing celebrated its anniversary with news of expansion.

It was actually late last year that Joel Antunes hinted about big changes at Ashley's, and this year saw those changes come to life in the form of One Eleven at the Capital. Updates worth getting excited about: a predictably still-delicious menu and a new wine program.

In the fall, more breweries: news of a River Market brewery. One of Blue Canoe's brewers, Laura Berryhill, is one of the few females currently behind craft-beer production in the state.

Speaking of the River Market, Boscos closed, and soon after, Damgoode Pies announced plans to fill the space with an eatery and its first brewery. Plus, Raimondo Family Winery announced that it'd be moving its production facility and tasting room to downtown Little Rock.

Along Main Street, Maduro owner Michael Peace closed his cigar bar and reopened the spot as a speakeasy called 109 & Co. And lastly, down the street, Samantha's Tap Room — set to open in early 2015 — released a first look at its menu.

Plus, it's worth noting that in November, voters elected to make alcohol sales legal in Saline County.

What a year, right?

Bonus: Take our quiz on where to drink in the metro.

Mayor Joe Glasscock and Commissioner Ruth Jeno said they didn't hear about the firing until after the fact, leading some residents to believe a three-member political conspiracy forced Mr. Dorsey to fire Mr. Sneed.

Neither commissioners nor Mr. Dorsey addressed the police chief situation during the meeting.

Some residents have united in a quest for transparency behind the sudden dismissal of a chief who had only two dropped complaints in a seven-year personnel file otherwise filled with thank-you letters from citizens, state law enforcement board appointments from Gov. Phil Bredesen and a "Chief Larry L. Sneed Day" resolution passed by a previous commission.

Petitions supporting Mr. Sneed's reinstatement are circulating around the city.

Cpl. Rebecca Chauncey, a police officer who filed and dismissed a harassment complaint against Mr. Sneed, attended Tuesday's meeting but did not try to speak during a public comment period.

Bradley Hanon, an officer who filed a complaint against Mr. Glasscock for an altercation outside City Hall after the last commission meeting, also attended.

Several ex-officers have spoken to reporters about their distaste for Mr. Sneed's management style.

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