By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
It was an autumn afternoon in 2017 when explosions and shots rang out outside Jeremy’s Sport Stop in Amity.
Panicked clerks locked themselves inside the gas station and called 911 — they had just witnessed an armed suspect firing off rounds at gas pumps and making verbal threats, then heard an explosion outside.
The first officer to arrive on scene told them to stay inside, then hurried across the street to begin extinguishing a fully engulfed sedan set ablaze by the suspect.
The man, whom the clerks were able to identify, had fled the scene, sparking a manhunt that would last until past midnight. Eventually, the sheriff called off the search and decided to regroup once the sun rose.
But he had a hunch that maybe the suspect might return once all the police activity had calmed. It was 3 a.m. when the sheriff radioed dispatchers to say he was back in the area, this time on foot.
Lurking nearby the gas station, he eyed the business in the pre-dawn hour and watched as a vehicle backed into a parking spot, headlights off. Must be a getaway driver to pick up our suspect, he thought.
The sheriff walked up to the vehicle to discover it wasn’t a bad guy at all. Instead, it was Steven Woodall, a volunteer fireman who had heard the sheriff check in afoot. He’d stationed himself there just in case things went south and the sheriff needed backup.
Next day, police were able to locate and apprehend the bad guy. Another job done.
Sheriff Jason Watson named Woodall the 2024 C.K. Sandifer First Responder of the Year during an appreciation dinner for emergency responders in the area. The event marked the 8th annual dinner, the brainchild of the late Charles Sandifer who wanted to show appreciation for first responders who serve the community.
“This was long overdue,” Watson said of presenting Woodall the accolade. “What he did that night — volunteer his time to ensure I had backup — represents what a first responder really is.” Woodall is also a deputy coroner in Clark County.
Thursday evening’s dinner, hosted by the Arkadelphia Lions Club, drew a crowd of about 150 first responders to the Arkadelphia Recreation Center. They were treated to a dinner catered by Ouachita Valley Meats. The program included posting of the colors by Arkadelphia High School JROTC, a singing of the National Anthem by APD lawman Jody Evans, and door prizes from several local sponsors and businesses.
Arkadelphia Police Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson also gave remarks about a recent liver transplant for Randy Lau, a school resource officer at Goza Middle School.