MOUNTAIN HOME — A former alderman in a northern Arkansas city has avoided prison time after being accused of plotting to firebomb a Mountain Home resident's vehicle.
The Baxter Bulletin reported that 81-year-old Ron Rhodes pleaded no contest Thursday to solicitation of arson. He was sentenced to seven years of probation after admitting that he offered a man $1,000 to firebomb the vehicle. Prosecutors said Rhodes and the 79-year-old resident had an ongoing feud.
Police arrested Rhodes last April, after a man told them he was offered money to destroy the resident's vehicle. He met with investors from Mountain Home's police department and the Arkansas State Police. An affidavit said police watched as Rhodes and the man, wearing a concealed audio-visual device, discussed the firebombing.