Arkansas sheriff quits after racist slurs against Piggly Wiggly employee were caught on tape: report

After a shocking recording circulated widely online, a sheriff in Arkansas has resigned.

"The Arkansas County Quorum court met in special session this morning at 10 a.m. to discuss a resolution requesting the resignation of Arkansas County Sheriff Todd Wright. An audio clip began circulating on Facebook late Wednesday night in which Wright uses racial slurs and offensive language describing an employee at Piggly Wiggly in DeWitt," the Stuttgart Daily Leaderreported Friday. "Wright offered an apology for any offense the recording caused, and said that his comments were in the heat of the moment. Wright insisted he was not racist."

On Thursday, The Pine Bluff Commercialreported on the contents of the recording, in which Wright calls a woman a "n****r lover" after she spoke to a black employee at the grocery store.

“I don’t understand why you’re so mad at me,” the woman said.

"Why you got to holler a f*cking n****rs when I'm around," he replied.

At Friday's hearing, the sheriff was urged to resign by a friend, Dewitt business owner Bobby Webb.

“I’ve known you all my life. You need to take that badge and you need to lay it on that table and you need to walk out of here," Webb said. "You know I love you."

Profanity and racial slurs are heard in the following recording: