Arrest made in I-30 ARDOT worker death

HOPE, Arkansas — Authorities say they’ve arrested a TexARKana man in connection with the death of a road construction worker on Interstate 30.

George Willis was arrested Thursday afternoon, July 31, 2025, Arkansas State Police announced. Special agents say Willis, 64, is responsible for a fatal hit-and-run collision 10 days prior to his arrest. In the early morning hours of Monday, July 21, state troopers were dispatched to the 18 mile-marker for a fatal hit-and-run that left 44-year-old Jonathan Gary Williams deceased. Williams, of Sherwood, was working as an Arkansas Department of Transportation contractor at the time of the incident, operating from a specialized trailer to apply reflectors to the roadway center line. Williams was struck and killed by a 2004 Buick Century, which was disabled at the scene and abandoned. Witnesses said the driver fled on foot.

Special agents made arrangements for Willis to turn himself in at the Hempstead County Detention Center, where he was taken into custody and his bond set at $25,000.

Willis is being charged with Leaving the Scene of a Collision Involving Death, a Class B felony.