Juvenile Court Officers only supervise Juvenile Court cases.  Probation or parole cases through adult courts are supervised by Arkansas Community Correction.  For the Fayetteville office of Arkansas Community Correction, call (479) 443-8000.

Diane Warren – Circuit Court Judge:

Judge Diane Warren is originally from Colorado and graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in speech communications.  She then graduated from Indiana University School of Law in 1996.  She moved to Arkansas in 1997 and began her career in welfare law.  She served as an attorney for children in foster care for 11 years before opening a private practice in 2012.  She began serving as Juvenile Judge in 2021.  Judge Warren enjoys the great outdoors of Northwest Arkansas in her free time.  

Allen Lott – Court Bailiff:

Allen has lived in NWA his entire life.  He attended the University of Arkansas majoring in Criminal Justice.  Allen worked at the Wal-Mart home office for 22 years.  Allen began his career with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in 2001 as a part time officer while working at Wal-Mart.  In 2017, he went full time with the Sheriff’s Office working at the Washington County Courthouse as a part of Courthouse Services.  In 2021, when Judge Warren took the bench, he became her full time bailiff.  In his free time Allen enjoys riding bikes on the greenway, watching his daughter swim, and supporting anything Razorback. 

Ashley Bush – Juvenile Officer:

Ashley is from Dallas, Texas and recently moved back to Northwest Arkansas in 2021.  She has her BA in Psychology of Human Behavior and has history working with kids on the Autism Spectrum, intellectually disabled adults, and individuals with emotional disturbances.  In her free time she likes to play video games, play softball, and spend time with her Corgi, Tucker.

Cassandra Fields – Juvenile Intake Officer:

Cassie moved from Arizona to Fayetteville in 2000 and has been in NWA ever since.  She has worked in corrections/law enforcement since 2007.  Cassie enjoys making small wood decorations, furniture at home, and spending time with family.  She is also a professional cake decorator.  Cassie wants to be rich when she grows up…

Christopher Jacob – Marshallese Speaking Juvenile Officer:

Chris is a single father with three children.  Chris moved to the United States from the Marshal Islands in 2004 and has been in NWA since that time.  Chris obtained a BS in General Studies from Columbia College.  He has worked in the Education field for over 20 years and has been serving the Marshallese community in NWA.  Chris enjoys traveling around the world and spending quality time with his family.

Hallie Monson – Executive Assistant:

Hallie recently relocated from Western Washington to NWA.  She graduated from the University of Washington with a BA in Criminal Justice.  Before coming to Washington County she worked in the 2nd largest county in the felony division of Pierce County, Washington with 23 different judges and 8 commissioners.  They were ranked 2nd in the nation of being the most efficiently run court system.  In her free time she loves exploring the local scenery and good eats with her husband and fur baby.

Jatori Harris – Juvenile Officer:

Jatori is a curriculum specialist with nonprofit organizations and has implemented cultural arts and restorative justice mentoring for youth and families as well as incarcerated adults impacted by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).  Jatori has worked with Children and Family services for over 11 years helping system involved youth transition independently off probation and from foster care.  He has collaborated with community partners to find resources that help support youth in transition to adulthood and looks forward to serving the youth and families in Washington County. 

Jennifer Bryant – Community Resource Program Director:

Jennifer graduated with a BA in criminology from Arkansas State.  She moved to NWA in 2003 and has worked in the legal field for 22 years.  Jennifer is a huge football fan and enjoys spending quality time with her girls. 

Kelly Shelton – Juvenile Officer:

Kelly moved to NWA 11 years ago from Central Arkansas, with a background of information from AR Department of Corrections, Adult Probation/Parole, Child Support Enforcement, Reintegration/Drug & Alcohol rehabilitation.  She studied Criminal Justice at UALR in Little Rock.  She is also a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of NWA.  She spends her spare time gardening and taking care of her two Schipperkes, Vixen & Ruthie, and her 23 pound kitty named Big Boy. 

Larry Little, Jr. – Director of Juvenile Court Services:

Larry is a Unites States Air Force Veteran who has lived in NWA for 21 years.  He received his bachelor’s degree from Liberty University and has been employed by Washington County Juvenile Court for 14 years.  Larry has been married to his wife for 22 years and they have 4 children with ages ranging from 4-17.  He loves watching sports, playing golf with his son and many other outdoor activities.

Melissa Vega – Spanish Speaking Juvenile Intake Officer:

Melissa was born in Santa Barbara, California.  She moved to Arkansas at age 10 and graduated from the University of Arkansas in 2018 with a Bachelor of Social Work.  Melissa loves using her spare time to spend with family and friends.  Her favorite thing to do is travel with her love ones.

Monica Palacios – Spanish Speaking Juvenile Officer:

Monica was born and raised in El Salvador and his lived in NWA since 1996.  She received her Associates degree in Criminal Justice and has 10 years of experience in community corrections.  Monica has worked at NWA Community Corrections Center, Washington County Juvenile Detention Center and Washington County Sheriff’s Office.  With her new role, she would like to empower and mentor families in the community.

RaLenn McBee – Official Court Reporter:

RaLenn McBee was born and raised in Arkansas.  She joined the military right after high school and after discharge received her paralegal degree from Anne Arundel Community College in Annapolis, Maryland.  RaLenn became a certified court reported in 1997 and has been an official court reporter for 19 years.  She became Judge Warren’s official court reporter when the judge first took the bench in January 2020.  RaLenn is married with 7 kids and 19 grandchildren.  In her free time she enjoys gardening and sharing her harvest with division 8.

Stacy Barnes – Trial Court Administrator:

Stacy has been in NWA off and on for over 20 years.  She has a BS in criminal justice and has worked in the legal field for 25 years.  Stacy enjoys coaching club volleyball and watching her son play basketball.  She is a big animal lover and supporter.  Someday she plans to retire and open a non-profit shelter.  “I’m suspicious of people who don’t like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn’t like a person.” – Bill Murray

Thomas Corona – Lead Juvenile Officer:

Thomas received his BS in Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas in 2014.  After graduation he spent a few years as a Police Officer for the Rogers Police Department.  In 2016, Thomas began working as a Juvenile Officer and quickly worked his way into lead positions.  He currently coaches soccer at NWA Legends Soccer Club and is an Assistant Soccer Coach for the Men’s team at Rogers Heritage High School.  Thomas enjoys traveling to Razorback athletic events and plans to visit every SEC football stadium in the coming years.