Catherine Crain Palmer Dean is a fourth-generation Arkansan raised in Wilson and affectionately called a "south-ender" by her friends on the "north end."

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For the past 23 years she has proudly served as the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney and since 2016, as City Attorney for Osceola. The Osceola District includes Osceola, portions of Burdette, Luxora, Victoria, Etowah, Keiser, Driver, Marie, Wilson, Bassett, Joiner, Dyess, Frenchman's Bayou, Whitton, Denwood and Birdsong, just to name a few.

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Having spent the past 23 years living and working in this community, Catherine has firsthand experience in the everyday workings of our justice system -- the BEST judicial system world-wide, although not perfect, still the best.

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As a prosecuting attorney, Catherine understands that making tough decisions is the job description, and she will not shy away from doing the legally correct thing in an effort to please certain people. Her time as a prosecutor has allowed her to fully realize that even though she may make people mad by prosecuting them or members of their family or friends, as long as she does it with fairness and integrity, it is seldom held against her. She has also represented private clients in domestic relations, contracts, personal injuries, guardianships, bankruptcies, real estate transactions and other matters before many courts throughout the state.

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Catherine is a founding member of the Mississippi County Drug Court team and has volunteered to serve on the court which has been established for non-violent/non-sex offender defendants who participate in an intense 2-year program that if successfully completed, are rewarded with having their offense sealed. She is also a member of the Mississippi County Mental Health Court planning and implementation team that is currently working to establish a Mental Health Court to assist those participants who suffer from mental disease or defect receive the necessary treatment to control their behavior in order to comply with the law. Commonly referred to as "accountability" courts, the goal is to help treat and re-direct those offenders into becoming law-abiding, employed, productive, tax-paying citizens in our community.

 

 

For Catherine, Mississippi County has always been her home. Her friends and co-workers are here. This is where her parents, Bert and Kitty Palmer, and her brother and nephew live. This is where she raised her two children and where she and her husband, Richard, reside.

 

Catherine loves this community and believes that the "south end" of Mississippi county has a special allure and soulfulness that is rare these days. She would consider it one of her greatest honors to serve as the District Judge for the Osceola District of Mississippi County, Arkansas.