POPE COUNTY, Ark. – Officials with the Pope County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Monday release that a state inmate in their custody has been accidentally released.

Officials said 45-year-old Robert Eugene Lackey Jr. was taken from the Arkansas Department of Corrections to Pope County for a court hearing on non-violent charges. A clerical error was made, officials said, and Lackey was allowed to bond out on Friday afternoon on pending charges.

The error was discovered on Monday, and searches are ongoing, officials said.

The ADC webpage for the heavily tattooed Lackey shows he is 5 feet 9 inches tall and 187 pounds. He has been classified as maximum by ADC since December 2024. Lackey has a history of multiple offenses, resulting in prison time, with the most recent being theft of property

See Full Page