Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — A former Mayflower police chief was charged today with assisting a convicted felon in obtaining blue emergency lights.

The Faulkner County prosecutor’s office filed the felony charge against Richard Shaw, who is accused of helping John Andrew Brinkley obtain blue lights for his vehicle.

Faulkner County Prosecutor Marcus Vaden said the charge stemmed from an investigation into reports that the Mayflower Police Department possibly was using a convicted felon as a law enforcement officer. The investigation led to Brinkley’s arrest, the prosecutor said in a news release.

Brinkley pleaded guilty to a felony hot-check charge in 2007. In November, he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm, criminal impersonation and illegally purchasing a blue light.

Additional information led to the charge against Shaw, Mayflower’s former police chief, Vaden said.