FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) — A Madison County man has pleaded not guilty to fatally shooting his neighbor after a fight in August.
Dale Wayne Bryant, 56, of Combs is charged in Washington County Circuit Court with first-degree murder — a Class Y felony.
The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said Bryant shot his neighbor, Samuel Scott Hicks, in the back after a fight Aug. 8 near their homes on Arkansas 16.
“They were neighbors and I guess there had been a little conflict that morning and it just escalated to way out of hand,” said Sheriff Rick Evans.
Bryant is free on a $3,500 bond. His next hearing is set for Nov. 13.
Class Y felonies are the most serious crimes in Arkansas not punishable by death. A person convicted of a Class Y felony could face life in prison, according to Arkansas Code Annotated 5-4-401.
Combs is a community of about 510 off Arkansas 16 in southwest Madison County.
