Cotton reintroduces bill to expel Chinese police operatives in U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Tom Cotton (RArkansas) today reintroduced the Expel Illegal Chinese Police Act of 2025, legislation that will impose sanctions with respect to police departments run by the People’s Republic of China and other persons seeking to establish a Chinese police presence in the United States. This reintroduction comes after a man accused of running a secret police station on behalf of China’s Ministry of Public Security pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.

“No foreign government has the right to operate secret police stations on American soil. The Chinese Communist Party’s actions undermine international norms and human rights by circumventing legal extradition processes and engaging in intimidation tactics. This legislation sends a clear message: the United States will never tolerate illegal operations that violate our sovereignty and intimidate individuals living within our borders,” said Senator Cotton. The Expel Illegal Chinese Police Act of 2025 would:

• Impose sanctions on Chinese police institutions operating in the U.S. and those associated with them

• Impose sanctions on those acting under the direction or control of the United Front Work Department to monitor and intimidate individuals in the U.S.

• Revoke visas of anyone to whom the law is applicable. ***

JONESBORO — January is National Blood Donor Month and the American Red Cross is asking donors to make an appointment to give blood in the new year. Type O-negative blood donors are especially needed.

For the sixth year, the Red Cross and the National Football League are partnering in January to offer donors who come to give through Jan. 26 the chance to win a Super Bowl LIX trip including access to day-of in-stadium pregame activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare, threenight hotel accommodations and a $1,000 gift card for expenses.

Donors will be registered automatically; for full details, visit redcrossblood.org/superbowl. To book an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, or call 1800-733-2767.

Upcoming area blood drives include:

• Monday — 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., First Methodist Church of Piggott, 188 N. Third Ave.; and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., Rector Community Center, 740 E.

Ninth St.; and American Red Cross, 2416 S. Madison St., Jonesboro.

• Tuesday — 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Browns Chapel Baptist

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Church, 3800 S. Rockingchair Road, Paragould.

• Wednesday — 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Wynne Primary School Gym, 1500 N.

Lemons St.; and 2 to 6 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints-Jonesboro, 301 E. Highland Drive.

Jan. 20 — 1 to 6 p.m., Word Baptist Church, 416 Calion St., Jonesboro.

• Jan. 22 — noon to 6 p.m., Embassy Suites, 223 Red Wolf Blvd., Jonesboro and Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, 900 W. Kingshighway, Paragould; and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., Arkansas Northeastern College Wellness Center, 2501 S. Division St., Blytheville.

• Jan. 23 — noon to 6 p.m., Embassy Suites, 223 Red Wolf Blvd., Jonesboro and Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, 900 W. Kingshighway, Paragould; and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., Black River Technical College, 1410 Arkansas 304 East, Pocahontas.

• Jan 24 — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Embassy Suites, 223 Red Wolf Blvd., Jonesboro; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, 900 W. Kingshighway, Paragould and Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 201 S. Memorial Drive, Walnut Ridge.

• Jan. 26 — 12:30 to 5:30 p.m., Harrisburg Community Center, 203 W. South St.

For other donation opportunities, visit redcross.org ***

Paragould man arrested for sexual solicitation

PARAGOULD — A Lawrence County man was being held in the Greene County jail Thursday after his arrest on suspicion of sexual solicitation involving a rape, according to Paragould police. Charles “Bradley” Cagle, 22, of Walnut Ridge was arrested Jan. 8 after an investigation by Paragould police and the Arkansas State Police Crimes Against Children Division.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received a pair of reports in mid-September about allegations of sexual abuse.

“On September 14, 2024, the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received a report in reference to a 9-year-old female who had made a disclosure of sexual abuse that had occurred in Newton County at a Boy Scouts of America event.”

“The potential defendant, Charles “Bradley” Cagle was the named offender on the report. On Sept. 17, 2024, the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline received another report in reference to an incident that was uncovered during the Newton County investigation that was deemed to have occurred in the fall of 2023 in Greene County,” Paragould police said.

State police investigators later interviewed the victims in the case.

“Between Sept. 18 and 27, a now 16-year-old female and a now 17-year-old female were interviewed by an Arkansas State Police CACD Investigator regarding the report from 2023. The 16-year-old victim disclosed acts that would constitute conduct constituting solicitation of rape by definition of statute,” Paragould police said.

“The 17-year-old victim disclosed similar acts that were deemed to have occurred in Craighead County. Both victims named the potential defendant, Charles “Bradley” Cagle, as their offender and it was found that the incident in Greene County had occurred between Nov. 3, 2023 and Nov. 4, 2023 during a Boy Scouts of America “lock-in” event at a local church. At the time of the incident, the defendant was a Scoutmaster over both females,” Paragould police said in the affidavit.

Police later interviewed Cagle with his attorney present. According to the affidavit, Cagle made corroborating and incriminating statements about the incident during the interview. Cagle was being held Thursday in the Greene County jail without bond, awaiting a court date.