Hollingsworth announces run for Baxter County Sheriff

Mark Hollingsworth, a longtime law enforcement officer with more than 40 years of experience, has announced his candidacy for Baxter County sheriff in the Republican primary scheduled for March 2026.
Hollingsworth currently serves as chief deputy of the Marion County Sheriff’s Department. He previously spent 36 years with the Arkansas State Police, retiring in 2021 as a major and commander of the agency’s Criminal Investigation Division. In that role, he oversaw statewide operations that included six CID companies, the Special Investigations Unit, Arkansas State Fusion Center, Cold Case Unit, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Digital Evidence Laboratory. He also represented the State Police on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and was coordinator for the Arkansas AMBER Alert program.

The challenge of a new opportunity to serve his community and his enduring passion for law enforcement is what Hollingsworth says drew him to pursue the role of sheriff.

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If elected, Hollingsworth says he will work hard every day to give back to the community that has given his family so much.

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A graduate of the FBI National Academy, Hollingsworth has attended multiple law enforcement leadership programs through the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute. He earned an associate degree in law enforcement from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and is completing a criminal justice degree at UALR.

Hollingsworth is a retired Arkansas Army National Guard sergeant first class with 20 years of military service, including active duty during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and a 2008 deployment to Iraq with the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

He and his wife, Kaye, a retired Mountain Home Public Schools teacher, have been married 43 years. The couple has two daughters and eight grandchildren and has lived in Mountain Home since 1985, except for a three-year assignment at State Police Headquarters.

Full Interview

The following is the full interview between Mark Hollingsworth and KTLO’s Heather Loftis discussing his run for Baxter County Sheriff.

Listen:

click to download audio

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