By Ray King
A Jefferson County man was arrested in the early morning hours Tuesday after sheriff’s deputies responding to a report of shots fired and found the man outside a shed behind a house holding a shotgun.
William Small, 53, was taken into custody after a records check showed that he had previously been convicted of a felony.
During a court hearing Thursday, Deputy Prosecutor Jay Girard said Small told the initial deputy that he did not know if there were people in the house and was held at gunpoint until a second deputy arrived to help secure the scene.
Sheriff’s Investigator Sandra Harper reported that when deputies entered the house, they found 19 shotgun shell casings on the floor, a broken window and an unlocked gun case with several rifles in it.
Harper also reported that there was what appeared to be a bullet hole in the door and Girard said deputies removed seven rifles from the residence.
When Small was interviewed, he said he had been with a retired Arkansas State Trooper when several Hispanic males came on the property and shot at them and the retired trooper told him to shoot them. Deputies never found the person Small claimed was with him.
Jefferson County District Judge Kim Bridgforth set a $20,000 bond for Small after ruling prosecutors have probable cause to charge him with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Public Defender’s Office was appointed to represent Small.
