What Happened to Crime Stoppers in El Dorado, AR: A Public Summary of Governance Failures, Misconduct, and the Path Toward Repair

Veronica Creer: When we presented the check to Ana for PUAYV, she had board members beside her. When the check reached Karen, she claimed a new board was already in place, yet no board members were present and she was not part of the group she referenced.

The contrast speaks for itself.

This report explains what happened inside El Dorado Crime Stoppers, how the organization fell out of compliance with its own bylaws, and why accountability and restoration are required before the group can move forward. This is intended for public understanding and transparency. It focuses on the basic facts of what took place and the structural problems that caused long term harm.

Crime Stoppers is a nonprofit organization with a clear set of bylaws that determine who has authority, how board members are elected, how funds are handled, and how the organization must operate. For years, these rules were ignored, bypassed, or replaced with undocumented decisions. As a result, the group became vulnerable to mismanagement, misinformation, and political influence.

The last lawfully elected President of Crime Stoppers was Veronica Smith Creer. There is no record of her resignation, no record of her removal, and no legal vote ever took place to replace her. Under the bylaws, officers continue in their positions until new officers are elected by a proper board at a proper meeting. This means Veronica remained the President through the entire period when others acted as if the board was vacant or dissolved.

Despite this fact, certain individuals placed themselves or others into leadership positions without elections, without minutes, and without any action authorized by the governing documents. Emails between some of these individuals show informal discussions about “getting a board together,” but none of these conversations were backed by legal process. The bylaw requirements for electing board members and officers were never met. This means the so called “new board” never existed legally.

During the same time period, organizational funds were moved without the approval of a lawfully seated board. The bylaws make it clear that only elected officers may authorize the movement of money and that only the board may designate bank accounts.

There is no bylaw that allows police officials, city officials, or private nonprofit employees to move Crime Stoppers funds or set up bank accounts in its name. Yet fund transfers occurred anyway while Veronica was under investigation and before her case had concluded. These transfers happened without her knowledge, without a meeting, and without a lawful vote.

The movement of funds, the creation of unauthorized accounts, and the assumption of authority by people who were never elected created the appearance of misconduct where none existed. These actions contributed directly to Veronica being charged criminally for something that the bylaws allowed her to do as President. She was later pressured into taking a misdemeanor plea, even though the underlying conduct was lawful under Crime Stoppers rules. The funds were returned before her case concluded. She was never restored publicly, and her rights were never acknowledged.

Now, years later, individuals who participated in or benefited from the wrongful restructuring are attempting to reconnect with her to address the organization’s unfinished business. They are asking for meetings and seeking guidance without first addressing the harm caused and without explaining how they acted outside the bylaws. The public deserves to understand that this situation is not simply a matter of confusion. It is a matter of wrongful displacement, flawed process, and decisions that ignored established nonprofit law.

Any legitimate path forward must include a restoration of Veronica’s rights as President, a full written account of who authorized fund movement, and an acknowledgment that the organization was operated outside its governing rules for several years. Without these steps, any attempt to meet, dissolve the organization, or appoint new leadership would repeat the same mistakes that caused this harm in the first place.

This report is intended to help the community understand the events at stake and why accountability, transparency, and respect for the bylaws must guide the next chapter. Crime Stoppers can still be repaired, but only if the truth is recognized and the rights of the last lawful President are restored.

ALL Power to The People.