ARKANSAS
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
By Ron Wood
Posted: August 19, 2015
FAYETTEVILLE — A juvenile court judge denied motions Tuesday from Springdale and the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette related to whether police should release copies of a 911 call in May from outside the Jim Bob Duggar home.
Washington County Circuit Judge Stacey Zimmerman said the 911 call and any related documents are outside the scope of any orders she issued related to a 2007 Families in Need of Services case involving the Duggar family.
A procedure to allow a nonparty, called intervenor, to join ongoing litigation, either as a matter of right or at the discretion of the court, without the permission of the original litigants. The basic rationale for intervention is that a judgment in a particular case may affect the rights of nonparties, who ideally should have the right to be heard.
Springdale police released in June a number of documents requested by Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reporter Doug Thompson under the Freedom of Information Act, but didn’t include the May 27 audio recording of a 911 call. The call had previously been released to In Touch magazine and received extensive press coverage.
The magazine’s account of the recording says the 911 caller identified himself as a Washington County case worker for the state Department of Human Services. He was quoted as giving the Duggar’s address and saying: “We have an investigation, and I guess they’re not being cooperative. We have to see the child to make sure the child is all right. So we just need police assistance.”
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