LITTLE ROCK — A Waldron man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the firebombing of an interracial couple’s home in Hardy, the U.S. attorney ‘s office in Little Rock said Friday.
Gary Dodson, 33, also must serve three years of supervised release after his prison term for conspiring to violate the couple’s civil rights, criminal interference with housing rights because of race and possession of an unregistered firearm/destructive device. He pleaded guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court in Little Rock on Dec. 7.
Dodson is the fifth and final person to be charged and sentenced in connection with the Jan. 14, 2011, incident in which three Molotov cocktails were thrown at the victims’ home. The home was damaged but no one was injured.
Prosecutors said Dodson devised the plan to firebomb the home with Jake Murphy, Dustin Hammond and Jason Barnwell while the three were attending a party.
Murphy and Hammond previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the civil rights of the victims. Both received sentences of 4 1/2 years in prison plus three years of supervised release.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Jason Barnwell previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to violate the victims’ civil rights, using fire in the commission of the offense and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced to 20 years incarceration.
Wendy Treybig, who co-hosted the party with Barnwell, previously pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and was sentenced to a year and nine months in prison plus three years of supervised release.
“The very strength we have in our communities is a result of the diversity of its people,” Christopher Thyer, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, said in a news release. “Those who perpetrate crimes against others solely because of racial differences will find, as these four defendants have, that there is a price to pay. The laws that protect our communities leave no tolerance for hate crimes.”