There will be no charges against Blytheville City Councilman John Musgraves, who was accused by Councilman R.L. Jones of threatening him.
The criminal incident report filed Friday by Jones against Musgraves has been investigated by the Blytheville Police Department and reviewed by both city and state prosecuting attorneys, according to Blytheville Police Chief Ross Thompson.
"Based on the information provided, no charges will be sought in connection with the report, and the case is considered closed," Thompson said.
Jones claimed the 46-year-old Musgraves threatened both he and Louis Rankin during a telephone conversation, and then again on a voicemail a few minutes later.
Musgraves denied he threatened his fellow Ward 3 representative, saying he was simply calling to question him about a caller saying Jones and another guy were bad-mouthing him.
Musgraves said he told Jones: "If y'all have something to say about me, y'all can come to me and say it to my face. We're grown men. If you've got something to say, you can say it."
In the harassing communications affidavit, Jones claims Musgraves said, "Y'all don't know who you are messing with, I am going to get both you and Mr. Rankin."
On Tuesday, Jones was still livid over the phone call.
"You don't call nobody's house threatening them regardless of what anybody done told you," Jones said. "Musgraves crossed the line and he know it."
Jones said he would be more than willing to take a polygraph test to "prove what I'm saying."
Jones claims Musgraves was never clear exactly what he was allegedly upset over.
"We've got too much work to do to be out here calling another council person, putting them under attack -- putting them under attack over something that they don't even know what you're talking about," Jones said. "He did not make himself clear about what he was talking about. I would have never called the police if he would've had a regular conversation. But that ain't what he said. He went to talking about what he going to do. At that point there, he had crossed the line."
On Monday, Musgraves told the CN that he didn't physically threaten Jones as Jones claims.
"I just told him, 'Look, if you've got something you want to ask me, if you want to say something, you can ask me,'" Musgraves said. "We're grown men. If I've got something to ask you, I'm going to ask you. That's the reason I'm calling to ask you. I said, 'I know we're in politics and this is politics, so I'm calling you and asking you.'"
He added Jones told him not to call his house.
"(Jones) can say something about you all day, but when you question him about something, he's going to run and hide," Musgraves said.
Jones said he never runs from calls, even when there are controversial matters concerning the Council.
Jones believes Musgraves violated Council's rules of order and procedure with what he called unethical behavior on his colleague's part.
"He attacked me on my pastoral night," said Jones, who is pastor at Bethlehem Temple COGIC, adding he was resting up for his church service later that night.
mbrasfield@blythevillecourier.com