The City of Bryant, Police Chief Carl Minden, and Mayor Chris Treat have asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former police detective Shanna Hastings, who claims she was fired for reporting suspected misconduct inside the department.
The city filed a 20-page answer on Wednesday, Jan. 15, stating that the city, Treat, and Minden deny wrongdoing and that Hastings was terminated for legitimate, non-retaliatory reasons, including insubordination and employee misconduct. The defendants ask the court to deny all relief sought by Hastings and dismiss the suit.
Hastings sued the city in December, alleging her July 2025 termination violated the Arkansas Whistle-Blower Act, which her complaint describes as “protected activity” involving reports of “violations of law, and abuse of authority,” as well as her rights under the Arkansas Constitution’s free speech and due process provisions, the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and common law protections against defamation and civil conspiracy.
In the city’s response filed by the Arkansas Municipal League, they state Hastings “did not make a good faith report of… a violation of law,” maintain she was terminated “for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons,” and argue that any speech she made “was not a matter of public concern” and “was not a substantial or motivating factor” in her termination.
The lawsuit centers on a June 28, 2025, incident at Burks Brothers Brewery in Bryant, which Hastings identified during a recorded internal affairs...
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