HARDY, Ark. — A Sharp County jury has convicted former Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose of second-degree sexual assault and furnishing alcohol to a minor, handing down the maximum fine in the felony case but opting against prison time.
Rose, 48, was fined $15,000 for the sexual assault charge and sentenced to one year in county jail along with a $2,500 fine for furnishing alcohol to a minor, the Arkansas State Police confirmed Monday. Rose will also be required to register as a sex offender.
The verdicts were delivered Friday evening, August 28, following deliberations at the Sharp County Courthouse. According to the *Spring River Chronicle*, the jury reconvened to determine sentencing after finding Rose guilty on both charges earlier in the day.
Under Arkansas law, second-degree sexual assault is a Class B felony, punishable by five to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $15,000, or both. Jurors opted for the maximum fine in lieu of a prison term, court records show.
With the fines and jail term combined, Rose faces a total penalty of $17,500 and a one-year custodial sentence.
The conviction bars Rose from working in law enforcement within Arkansas. According to the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST), an individual with a felony conviction is ineligible for certification as a law enforcement officer, even if the conviction is pardoned or expunged.
The investigation into Rose began in March 2025 following allegations of child sexual abuse. The Sharp County Sheriff’s Office referred the case to the Arkansas State Police, which conducted an investigation with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI. Rose was arrested on June 2, 2025.
Rose’s conviction and sentencing close a troubling chapter for the Hardy Police Department, where he served as the head of law enforcement before the charges emerged.