Case still pending in attack on Benton mayor

Nearly two months later, the man accused of assaulting Benton's mayor still faces no formal charges, and the county's prosecutor says the incident remains under investigation.
Franklin County State's Attorney Evan Owens said Wednesday that he continues to investigate the situation, and he declined to comment on any final disposition in the case.
"I don't want to comment on any pending cases at this time," Owens said.
The pending case stems from the afternoon of Feb. 8, when Benton Mayor Fred Kondritz says Albert Smith punched him during an encounter at Fred's Super Dollar in Benton.
Smith was arrested and booked into the Franklin County Jail that evening on a charge of aggravated battery of a public official. He was released on bond the same night.
Kondritz publicized the incident in a Facebook post the next morning, alleging that he had been "maliciously attacked and punched in the face."
Their encounter stemmed largely from a letter to the editor Smith published in that day's Benton Evening News in which Smith questioned Kondritz's previously published account of a recent boys basketball game.
Kondritz and Smith both have declined to comment to the newspaper about the situation since then. Smith's attorney, Bryan Drew, told media at the time that it was Kondritz who had "instigated an altercation" with Smith.