FORREST CITY, AR (KARK/CNN) – A 78-year-old retired pastor has been murdered in his Arkansas home. Neighbors on Hickey Road in Forrest City say there's now something missing along their road.
“Every day we see him walking his dog Tiffani and he stops and talks,” said neighbor John Pope of pastor Arnold Gwathney. Pope says in the evenings Gwathney would take his pup down the street, and visit with his neighbors. “If you needed him for something he would be there for you. He'd give you the shirt off his back,” Pope said.
He and John James say they're having trouble coming to grips with the news the 78-year-old retired pastor was killed in his own home over the weekend. “He'll be missed. It's very sad,” James said.
State police believe Larry Watts, who lives only two doors down, broke into Gwathney's home, murdered him and stole his car. Police say he then robbed a Family Dollar in Brinkley before leading authorities on a chase. He was eventually taken into custody.
“It's just crazy that somebody would do that to him,” said neighbor Jonavery Wilson. Wilson and Lateshia Haggans say they talked to Gwathney just a day before he was killed. “He never really mess with anyone. He was one of the most respectful man that we had ever seen,” Haggans said.
The people living down Hickey Street are heartbroken, saying they'll miss the kind soul who made their neighborhood, and their community, a better place to live. “His dog and his church was his life,” Pope said of the pastor. The neighbors say Gwathney lost his wife just over a year ago.
No formal charges have been filed against Watts but Arkansas State Police are preparing their case.
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