Rodney Nowden Jr. Convicted in Feb. 11 Arkadelphia Dollar General Robbery

Rodney Nowden Jr., of Shannon Hills, received a lengthy prison term after a Clark County conviction for the armed robbery of the Dollar General at 2727 Caddo St., Arkadelphia. Prosecutors secured a sentence that includes 20 years in the Arkansas Department of Corrections, an additional 20 years as a suspended imposition of sentence, and an order to pay full restitution plus fines and costs.

The robbery occurred on Feb. 11, 2024, in the evening, with times reported as around 8:30 p.m. by MySaline and about 8:35 p.m. by the Arkadelphian. Investigators say a masked man entered the store, pointed a matte-black pistol at the clerk and demanded money. Arkadelphian reporting described the suspect as “brandishing a weapon and demanding money from the cash register while threatening the clerk with a matte black pistol, which he displayed in his left hand.”

Officers at the scene found that $406.36 in bills and change had been taken and placed into a yellow Dollar General bag. Arkadelphian coverage notes, “Officers discovered that the suspect had taken $406.36 in currency consisting of bills and change, and that the currency was placed into a yellow Dollar General bag.” Witnesses included customers and store employees; no employee names or injury reports were provided in the court summaries.

Arkadelphia patrol officers were dispatched immediately after the robbery. As the Arkadelphian put it, “On that evening at approximately 8:35 p.m., Arkadelphia patrol officers were dispatched to the location in response to an aggravated robbery that had just occurred.” Magnoliareporter reported that officers “actually caught up with the 37‑year‑old about an hour after customers and store employees reported the robbery to the Arkadelphia Police Department. But law enforcement wouldn’t have enough evidence then to make an arrest,” and that Nowden was not arrested until roughly three weeks after the incident.

Court filings in Clark County charged Nowden with at least one armed robbery tied to the Caddo Street location. Arkadelphian and MySaline identify the conviction as Aggravated Robbery and list his age as 39; Magnoliareporter’s court-focused account lists his age as 37. Reporting makes a distinction between suspicion and charges: Arkadelphian reports detectives say they “caught the person suspected of robbing multiple Dollar General stores in Arkansas,” while Magnoliareporter’s filing language centers on charges for at least one Dollar General robbery.

Several routine details remain absent from public reports: the exact arrest date and location, the sentencing hearing date and judge, whether Nowden entered a guilty plea or was found guilty at trial, and whether the pistol was recovered or tested. Clark County Circuit Court records and the Arkadelphia Police Department arrest report would clarify those points and the precise restitution and fine amounts beyond the $406.36 taken during the Caddo Street robbery.