State Police who killed SFC man in standoff earn Trooper’s Cross

A pair of state troopers who shot and killed a St. Francis County man following a standoff at his home last year have received the Trooper’s Cross.

The awards were presented Tuesday at the annual State Police awards ceremony, during which Corporal Chet White of Saline County was named Arkansas State Trooper of the Year.

Corporal Andrew Ault of Garland County and Corporal Eric Wold of Sebastian County received the Trooper’s Cross for their roles in a day-long standoff at the SFC residence where an armed man wanted on a felony charge of terroristic threatening had vowed to kill anyone who attempted to arrest him.

The Trooper’s Cross is presented to a trooper or civilian employee who demonstrates extraordinary courage, according to a State Police press release.

On May 18, 2020, deputies were called to the home of Robert (Bobby) Wayne Lawson, 64, on County Road 301 in the Barrow Hill Road area in regard to a dispute between Lawson and neighbors, who he had allegedly threatened to kill.

Deputies began dealing with Lawson about 7:30 a.m., that day, speaking with neighbors about the threats. After obtaining a search warrant for Lawson’s property and a felony terroristic threatening arrest warrant, officers returned to his residence but he refused to come out, barricading himself in his home.

After spending the entire day at Lawson’s home, communicating with the man via a public address system and on

(Continued from Page 1) the phone, officers realized he was not going to exit the residence.

The sheriff’s department requested assistance from the State Police SWAT team about 3:30 that afternoon, and deputies turned the situation over to them about 8:30 p.m.

According to the press release, SWAT team members took up positions and within 90 minutes were fired on the Lawson.

Wold ordered Lawson to drop his gun, leading the suspect to again fire at Wold, who returned fire, prompting Lawson to retreat into the residence. As the SWAT team began preparing to deploy a chemical irritant into the house, Lawson was repeatedly asked to exit the residence through the garage, unarmed, and with his hands raised above his head.

Instead, he moved to the rear of the residence and exited through a back door and was still believed to be armed. As the suspect began to make a move as to raise a gun, he was shot by Ault.

A pair of troopers with Troop D, headquartered in Forrest City, were presented a Lifesaving Award. The award is presented to a trooper or civilian employee who through direct personal intervention sustains another persons’ life.

Troopers Donnie Cheers and Mason Marrone, both of Crittenden County, are credited for saving the life of a truck driver involved in a motor vehicle crash along Interstate 55 on Oct. 1, near West Memphis.

Upon their arrival at the crash scene the troopers found the driver trapped inside the cab of the truck which was burning and flames about to engulf entire cab.

Both troopers exhausted the chemical in their state-issued fire extinguishers while trying to stop the flames that continued to spread through the cab. The two troopers began stopping other truck drivers asking for their fire extinguishers in hopes of keeping the flames off the driver until a fire truck arrived. Eventually, at least 10 fire extinguishers were used to protect the trapped driver from the growing flames before a fire truck arrived at the crash scene.

West Memphis Fire Department personnel were able to extinguish the fire long enough to allow paramedics to enter the wreckage and extract the driver.

Paramedics who transported the injured driver to a Memphis hospital later said had it not been for the troopers’ actions, the driver would have perished inside the truck.

ASP also noted official commendations issued to a pair of special agents from this area.

Special Agent Jason Martin of Monroe County and Special Agent Sgt. Randall Murphy of Woodruff County, who each work in the Company A Criminal Investigation Division, received official commendations.

Official commendations are presented for acts of exemplary service and awarded during meetings of the ASP Commission prior the awards program held Tuesday.