May says Bynum’s innocent, defends rehiring of deputy

A press conference called last week by St Francis County Sheriff Bobby May to address the rehiring of a deputy embroiled in allegations of wrongdoing over the hanging death of a teenager quickly turned into a shouting match from members of the child’s family and others supporting them. The press conference was held Wednesday, June 10, at the SFC Courthouse to allow May an opportunity to discuss his decision to rehire Alvin “Trey” Bynum as a patrol deputy. Bynum was working as a deputy with the SFC Sheriff’s Department when he was involved in a chase about midnight on Nov. 3, 2024, involving Tripp Brazeale in the area of Highway 284 and SFC 409. Deputies were originally called to that area to look for a pair of juveniles missing from Cross County. While there, deputies heard four-wheelers that sounded as they were being driven erratically nearby and went to investigate. Sgt. David Kinney made contact with the riders before Bynum and a ride-along, Preston Cox, pulled up. At that moment, deputies testified that Brazeale, 15, drove by and slowed down a little before fleeing and being chased on SFC 409 by Bynum and Cox. The chase continued about a mile and a half before Brazeale’s ATV became disabled, after which he fled into nearby woods. His body was found about 4 p.m., on Monday, Nov. 4, hanging from a tree about 400 feet north of the westbound rest area on Interstate 40. He was the son of Gil and Jennifer Brazeale. Gil Brazeale is a candidate for sheriff in the November general election. “We’re going to be very transparent today. Some people aren’t going to like what I have to say but I’m going to say it because it’s the truth and that’s what we’re here for today – the truth – and I want that to be clearly understood,” said May, who was accompanied by Bynum and Cox. “This press conference is about Trey Bynum. He’s a good guy, a decent good man who has been persecuted beyond persecution by liars,” said May. “Some people have asked why do you chase a four-wheeler? Why do we chase anything? We don’t know why they’re running. In any event, he stopped, jumped off the four wheeler and ran off into the woods.” May continued responding to the rumors and allegations surrounding Bynum’s job performance that night. “People are telling these blasphemous lies by saying that Trey Bynum got out of his car, chased him down and found some kind of rope or something and hung the boy,” said May. “When I first heard those comments, my thoughts were nobody is going to believe that. Nobody would believe anything so ridiculous. Boy, was I wrong. Apparently there is a lot of ignorance out there. These people are telling lies and they know they’re telling lies.” May read a text Tripp sent to his parents after he fled police, saying that he was sorry for the things he’d done and telling them he loved them. That was the last contact the Brazeales had with their son. Gil Brazeale asked the sheriff about the department’s pursuit policy, claiming it was implemented in 1998 under then sheriff Dave Parkman. “None of them know anything about pursuits because you don’t give them a pursuit manual,” Brazeale claimed. At that point, the courtroom erupted with questions and allegations from several regarding the department not responding to other calls about ATVs being ridden late at night. Another point of contention voiced by the audience was that Bynum turned his body camera off for 49 minutes, with several asking why that was done. May explained the department’s policy is to turn body cameras off when the deputy is not interacting with an individual or situation. During that 49 minutes, Bynum and Cox were reportedly sitting in his vehicle waiting for Kinney to return with a trailer to transport the four-wheeler to the sheriff’s department. There, they discovered the four-wheeler had been stolen from a dealer in Texas. As the audience continued to question May, he responded, “It’s amazing to me. I’m listening to y’all and none of y’all have a minute of investigative experience. “I certainly can answer any questions you have,” said May. “I haven’t heard any answers yet,” said a member of the audience. “You don’t want to hear the truth,” May responded. “I hate it the boy killed himself.” “He didn’t kill himself,” shouted someone from the audience. May asked Cox to talk about that night. He explained they were looking for missing juveniles when they came upon the group of ATV riders. “Tripp came through and at first I thought he was going to stop. He threw his hands up and then he took back off. He jumped an embankment and that snapped the battery cable, which disabled the four-wheeler and he went off into the woods,” Cox said, adding that he did not know at the time who they were chasing. May asked Cox if he or Bynum went into the woods after Brazeale. “No. We never went into the woods until the next day after when State Police arrived and we were put in search parties,” said Cox. May asked Bynum to also speak. “I want to state that I had no wrongdoing whatsoever with this individual,” said Bynum. “I done my job and that was all. I was cleared by Arkansas State Police, I was cleared by the Arkansas State Police Crime Lab, the St. Francis County Sheriff’s Department and any other agency that was involved. I have received death threats and other threats from his family and friends for the last two years almost and it is ridiculous.” “Why do you want to come back?” asked one from the audience. “I was called back to be honest with you. There’s nothing else I know how to do,” he said. Bynum has worked for 12 different police departments over the past 10 years. He said he left the SFCSD for a job that paid more money in Cross County. “I left to try and better my family but I was followed and stalked and threatened,” he said. Bynum has now been assigned to the Interstate 40 team. Sandra Davis, who lives near Caldwell, said before the incident involving the chase on SFC 409, Tripp came into her yard driving a four-wheeler, claiming Bynum was chasing him. “I have watched that man chase him by my house and he came into my yard to get away from him. I asked him why he was terrified,” said Davis during the press conference. After the conference, the Times-Heraldasked Davis to elaborate further on that day when Tripp was at her house. “He come down my driveway, around my house, parked his four-wheeler and jumped off. He told me he’s going to kill me if he catches me,” said Davis, adding that Tripp told her he just needed the deputy to go on down the road and then he was going home. “He watched the cop go down the road real slow,” she added. When asked if she knew the police officer in the vehicle was Bynum, she responded, “I do not know it was Bynum. It was a police car. He waited until the vehicle was gone down the road and got back on the four wheeler and left.” The four-wheeler Brazeale was riding that night was determined to have been stolen from a dealer in Texas and lacked a VIN. Gil Brazeale claimed the ATV was not stolen and that it appeared in ACIC as stolen because Texas officials had not done their jobs after the four wheeler was sold. Jennifer Brazeale claimed she has the title for the four-wheeler. “The only reason you were not charged with possession of a stolen four-wheeler was because we had sympathy for you. That’s the only reason and that’s one of the reasons why the young man ran,” said May. “Is that what it was?” asked Gil Brazeale. “First of all, the four-wheeler was bought in good faith.” May said the feelings being expressed regarding the teenager’s death are reflective of a “small but vocal” group of people on social media. After the press conference, Brazeale was asked what type of person his son was. “He was the best kid you could have ever been around,” he said. When asked why Tripp’s address was listed as Colt and the Brazeales is listed as SFC 309, Brazeale still claimed that the teenager lived with his parents and that his identification listed his address as being in Colt. The autopsy revealed the teen had alcohol in his system but his parents said he wasn’t known to drink. “He didn’t drink. He didn’t smoke dope. He didn’t do anything like that,” said Gil Brazeale. “I remember a few times he did try a drink and threw up,” added Jennifer Brazeale. The couple also said it is difficult to believe the text they received from their son that night was actually sent by him. “It doesn’t sound like him,” said Jennifer. “First off, he never would have wrote a paragraph like that,” said Gil. As for the four-wheeler Tripp was riding, his father said Tripp bought the ATV off of Facebook. “I don’t know who it was. Tripp made the deal. He worked all summer to buy that four wheeler. He traded a Honda four-wheeler and $2,500 for it. I had bought the Honda four wheeler,” said Gil. “He didn’t know it was stolen. It was bought in good faith.” When the Brazeales made it to where Tripp was last seen alive, they said there were no deputies or any other law enforcement present. Gil Brazeale said he searched Crowley’s Ridge on foot both nights his son was missing. When asked what his next steps would be, Brazeale responded, “I’m going to sue the (expletive) out of this county,” he said. ASP investigators later visited the Brazeale residence to review the autopsy results and speak to the teenager’s parents. During that recorded interview, the investigators said, “As of now, there is no foul play.” “That’s the reason I wanted y’all to say it and not the county,” Gil Brazeale told ASP officials. “What kills me is he traveled all that way and hardly had any scratches on his feet. It’s wild.” “We had an agent attend the autopsy because it was a juvenile. He said that based on the condition of the body, he had been there at least 12 hours but probably less than 24 hours,” said investigators. “The medical examiner said the cause of death was asphyxiation and caused by a ratchet strap. He said there were no other signs or trauma or any other kinds of injuries other than from the ratchet strap.” “That makes me feel better,” Gil can be heard telling ASP investigators. “That pretty much eased my mind.” The Brazeales told investigators they had been in touch with their personal attorney in an attempt to get possession of the four-wheeler their son was riding that night. “I told him I want that back and he said you know it’s stolen. I said to find out if they will clear it and I’ll pay whatever it takes to get it back,” said Gil Brazeale. “The four-wheeler was bought in good faith. I don’t want the four-wheeler but she needs it to be out in that shed,” he said referring to the teen’s mother. Gil Brazeale also told ASP investigators that he did not believe the things that transpired that night happened like it has been reported. “I’ll go to my grave saying it didn’t go down like that,” he said. “The medical examiner is very thorough in everything they do. If they had something different we’d be going a different route now,” the investigators told the Brazeales. May said the press conference accomplished what he hoped it would. “I wanted to have a press conference and get it clear and I think I did that. Trey Bynum is completely innocent of following that boy into the woods and hanging him like they accused him of doing. But, it didn’t make any difference to this group,” said May. “I wanted to get it across that he was completely innocent and he wouldn’t do that. If I thought any differently, I would be the first in line to get him prosecuted and sent to prison. The boy is a good deputy and I owed it to him to stand up for him. I did and I’m very proud of that.” May dug in on Bynum’s employment. “He’s going to stay with this department until he is ready to leave,” said May. “They can protest all they want but he’s going to be right here. I don’t bend under pressure.” +

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