HARDY, Ark. — Former Hardy Police Chief Scott Rose was found guilty Friday on charges of second-degree sexual assault and knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor following a jury trial in Sharp County.
The jury returned its verdict Aug. 28 after a trial held during the week of Aug. 24.
Rose was assessed a $15,000 fine for the second-degree sexual assault conviction.
On the conviction for knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor, Rose was sentenced to one year in the county jail and assessed an additional $2,500 fine.
The fines total $17,500.
Rose will also be required to register as a sex offender and, as a result of the conviction, will no longer be eligible to serve as a law enforcement officer.
The verdict concludes a criminal case that began more than a year earlier following an investigation involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
Rose was arrested June 2, 2025, after the Sharp County Sheriff’s Office investigated allegations that Sheriff Shane Russell said were reported to his office around March 31, 2025.
Because Rose was serving as Hardy police chief at the time, outside agencies assisted with the investigation. Those agencies included the Arkansas State Police, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.
At the time of his arrest, Rose initially faced four charges: second-degree sexual assault, sexual indecency with a child, first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor and knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor.
According to a probable cause affidavit released after his arrest, investigators interviewed a victim who described alleged inappropriate conduct beginning when the victim was 13 years old.
The affidavit alleged Rose had engaged in inappropriate touching, provided alcohol to the victim and sent an inappropriate photograph.
Those allegations were part of the broader investigation and should be distinguished from the two charges on which the Sharp County jury ultimately returned guilty verdicts.
Rose was interviewed at the FBI office in Jonesboro on June 2, 2025, before he was arrested and booked into the Sharp County Detention Center.
Following his arrest, the City of Hardy terminated Rose from his position as police chief.
Rose later appeared in court, where his bond was set at $100,000 and a no-contact order was issued.
His jury trial was conducted in Sharp County during the final week of August 2026. The jury reportedly reached its decision at approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Rose was ultimately convicted of second-degree sexual assault and knowingly furnishing alcohol to a minor, bringing to a close a case that involved investigators from multiple agencies and stretched from the spring of 2025 through the summer of 2026.
