Date of Offense
Offense(s)
Official Statement
Michael Austin Kennedy is now a former Arkansas State Police trooper. The allegations arose in Saline County divorce and custody filings by his wife, Alana Delaney Kennedy. In an amended complaint filed May 13, 2026, she alleged that Kennedy was “a white supremacist” and argued that his views and conduct would harm the couple’s children; she requested sole custody, visitation for Kennedy, and a parenting course directed at limiting “hatred and prejudice.”
The evidentiary basis alleged in the filing was a set of roughly 30 screenshots of text messages. Reporting on the court documents states that the messages included racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-Hispanic, anti-Black, anti-Muslim, and anti-LGBTQ language. KATV reported that the messages included slurs aimed at Hispanic, Black, Muslim, and LGBTQ communities; comparisons of Black people to apes; a call to ban Ramadan in Arkansas; hate-speech memes; and photos allegedly showing Kennedy posing with a person he had arrested while using anti-Hispanic slurs.
The bias allegations are not limited to private speech. The reported materials allegedly connect Kennedy’s racial hostility to his law-enforcement role: PEOPLE reported that the texts included Kennedy bragging about arresting people from minority backgrounds and included photos he allegedly took while appearing to arrest people. That matters because the alleged conduct goes directly to bias, motive, selective enforcement, witness credibility, and the appearance that official police authority was being exercised through racial animus.
Kennedy resigned from Arkansas State Police after the messages surfaced. KATV reported that he resigned in May and that court documents filed by Kennedy’s attorney stated that, after his wife followed through with disclosure of the materials, Kennedy “had to resign from his employment.” PEOPLE reported that 5News said Kennedy officially resigned on May 15, 2026.
Kennedy’s response, through counsel, did not admit the “white supremacist” characterization, but it did acknowledge the offensive communications. His filing reportedly stated that he took responsibility for the language, made no excuse for it, and said the statements were improper, did not reflect his current values, and were something he was ashamed of. The response also characterized the communications as several months old and pre-dating the divorce litigation.
For Brady/Giglio purposes, the allegations present a direct credibility and bias concern. If the screenshots are authentic, they are impeachment material bearing on racial bias, discriminatory motive, truthfulness in official encounters involving minority citizens, selective enforcement, and Kennedy’s credibility as a state witness. Cases involving arrests, searches, traffic stops, charging referrals, probable-cause affidavits, use-of-force narratives, or testimony by Kennedy would warrant review for disclosure, prejudice, and potential taint.
