LITTLE ROCK — A badly burned body found Tuesday afternoon in the Dick Jeter community of Pulaski County is believed to be the remains of Troy Anderson, the former Waldron mayor who has been missing since June 27, Fort Smith police said.
The man arrested last week and accused of using one of Anderson's credit cards was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in the case.
Capt. Jarrard Copeland of the Fort Smith Police Department said the human remains would be sent for identification to the state Crime Laboratory in Little Rock, but even with the condition of the body, investigators say they believe the body is that of Anderson. He said he could not provide more specifics about why the police believe that.
Detectives have gathered a substantial amount of evidence and have interviewed several people in their investigation, Copeland said.
Among those interviewed were Mario Dawson, 21, and Jasmine Dawson, 20, both of Fort Smith, who were observed on surveillance video in late June at a Fort Smith grocery using one of Anderson's credit cards. They were identified Thursday and arrested in West Memphis on charges of fraudulent use of a credit card.
Mario Dawson was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, Copeland said, and was expected to be booked Tuesday into the Sebastian County jail with no bail set.
Police remained silent Tuesday on how they found the body in Pulaski County about 600 yards from where Anderson's 2003 Toyota Tundra was found June 25. Pulaski County sheriff's deputies assisted in the recovery of the remains.
"At 3 p.m., Fort Smith police directed us to this area," said Lt. Cody Burk, a spokesman for the Pulaski County sheriff's office. "We assisted them and located the body out in the woods out there and contacted the Pulaski County coroner."
Arthur Colclough, a retired contractor, said he has lived in the small community many years. He stood in the driveway of the duplex he shares with his brother at 4610 Dick Jeter Park Road, watching investigators walk in front of his granddaughter's home. She lives a few yards from the woods where the burned body was found,he said.
Colclough said deputies questioned him and several other residents about a week ago, shortly after the pickup was found in the woods near where North Little Rock and Jacksonville meet.
Dick Jeter Park Road is little more than a dirt path. Once past the half-dozen or so houses on the road, there is little more than woods. The road was roped off by law enforcement officers Tuesday.
"They found his truck not far from here, I don't know where exactly," Colclough said. "I told them I see people go through there all the time but don't know exactly who it is."
Colclough said the rural nature of the community has been a comfort but has become a concern.
"This is a quiet neighborhood," he said. "But I guess that's where you bring a body to dump - to a quiet neighborhood."
Waldron Mayor Randy Butler said he was sorry to hear reports of Anderson's death but was not surprised by them Tuesday afternoon.
"We all suspected something like this might have happened because it's just not like Troy to run off like that," Butler said.
He said Anderson was well-known and well-liked in Waldron. He served on the City Council for about four years and as mayor from 1999 to 2006. Anderson's ex-wife, Sandra, worked in the school system, he said.
"They were very well-liked," Butler said. During his administration, Anderson worked to dress up downtown Waldron, repairing sidewalks and improving lighting. He also helped acquire land for a city park and was mayor when a recycling center opened in the city.
Anderson resigned from office in October 2006 after he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure and abuse of office. He initially was charged in May 2006 with two counts of felony abuse of public trust and four misdemeanor counts of patronizing a prostitute.
One of the abuse of public trust charges accused Anderson of using his office to allow a woman with whom he was having sex and her son-in-law to avoid paying their delinquent water bills without losing water service.
An affidavit by Arkansas State Police investigator Kevin Richmond said the woman had amassed a water bill totaling $298.73 before accrual of additional charges ceased in October 2004. The water bill of the son-in-law totaled $298.27, with no additional charges accruing after March 2004.
The second abuse of public trust charge accused Anderson of refunding a $60 water deposit to the woman, even though she had never paid a deposit.
The four charges of patronizing a prostitute involved Anderson soliciting sex from two women.
One of the cases occurred Jan. 25, 2006, after a woman told Richmond that Anderson had solicited sex from her the day before. Richmond gave the woman a digital recorder and she met with Anderson, during which time he paid her $100 to have sex, the affidavit said.
The affidavit never mentioned if Anderson and the woman actually had sex, but it noted that Anderson exposed himself to her.
The other three prostitution charges involved the woman for whom Anderson gave special treatment on her water bill.
Richmond's affidavit said the woman told him that Anderson paid her $20 for sex on Feb. 21, 2006. Richmond gave the woman a digital recorder before she met with Anderson again on Feb. 24, 2006.
The affidavit said Anderson picked up the woman as she stood on Fifth Street in Waldron, then drove her to a location outside Waldron where she performed a sex act on him.
The affidavit said Anderson would have the woman recline her seat when he picked her up so that no one would see them together in his car. The woman told Richmond that Anderson had been paying her for sex for the past eight to 10 years.
Arkansas, Pages 9, 18 on 07/08/2009