Officer resigns, calls missing dispatcher investigation “questionable”

HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, AR - "I was a little surprised that I was not given a heads up before one of my officers decided to resign," Chief A.L. Cornett said.

Officer Dale Anderson's public resignation from the Hot Springs Village Police Department describes "extreme negativity" and "hostility" within the department. Cornett says he saw the resignation letter for the first time this morning.

Anderson's resignation letter also calls the recent investigation into Dispatcher Dawna Natzke's death "questionable," saying available resources "were never utilized."

Natzke went missing after leaving a Christmas party December 21st. Days later, a U.S. Forest Service Worker found her burned car in the Ouachita National Forest. Then, on New Year’s Eve, a volunteer search party found her body.

Authorities have named Natzke's boyfriend, Kevin Duck, as a person of interest in her death.

"I would totally refute the fact that that investigation was conducted quickly and properly and as well as it could have been," Cornett said.

Reached by phone, Officer Anderson explained why he called the Natzke investigation "questionable." He said to this day, the patrol - the guys not necessarily in administration but out on the road - still have not been briefed about Dawna Natzke.

“I don't think that's true. They have access to the reports," Cornett said.

Anderson worked for the department for the past four and a half years. Before that, he worked as a police officer in Illinois for more than 20 years. The investigation into Natzke's death is ongoing and is being handled by the Garland County Sheriff’s Office.