By Marcus McClain
NEA Town Courier
Prosecuting attorney candidate Martian Lilly made a stop in Blytheville April 23 and attended the community meeting hosted by councilman R.L. Jones at the library.
Lilly is campaigning for Judicial District 2 which includes Clay, Craighead, Crittenden, Greene, Mississippi and Poinsett counties. Competing candidates include Corey Seats of Jonesboro and Sonia Fonticiella of Paragould.
Lilly is currently the deputy prosecutor in the district and has been a member of the Arkansas Bar for over 30 years.
However, in recent weeks Lilly’s record has been called into question, mainly due to a case in which he represented two young men after the death of their mother in a car crash. With the two as minors at the time, Lilly was court ordered to place the funds awarded into a restricted access-guardianship bank account. Once the oldest of the two sons reached 18 years of age, he and the guardians contacted the bank about the funds in late 2011, but they were told there was no record of an account for either of the young men.
The consent and findings order states that Lilly admitted that he could not account for the minors’ funds leaving his client trust account and being deposited into the court-ordered bank accounts in 2004.
Under the supreme court committee of professional conduct, Lilly was requested to promptly replace the missing funds. In November of 2012, Lilly replaced the finds with interest, but was also reprimanded for his violations in the case. However, he was only assessed $50 in fines concerning the matter and insisted that his background as an attorney is stellar during Saturday’s meeting.
“The state investigated that and audited records over an eight year period. As of 2011, I had 21 years worth of financial records that they went through. After that eight year period, they assessed $50 in costs and told me to have a good day. I’ve paid more than that in a seat belt ticket,”Lilly said.
“I think you know well enough that when something is investigated for eight years, and you're assessed $50 in costs, there isn’t much to it. I read a letter from the bar association where the director of the ethics commission said because of my stellar record and no ethical complaints, that they would just assess the costs of $50.”
The election for prosecuting attorney will take place May 24. If no candidate reaches the required 50 percent of the votes, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff on Nov. 8.
The election winner will replace Keith Chrestman, who was appointed in 2021 by Governor Asa Hutchinson. Chrestman was appointed after then-prosecuting attorney Scott Ellington was elected to a circuit judge seat.
Prosecuting attorneys are elected to serve four-year terms.