In the quiet town of Mountain Home, Arkansas, a place that had become a peaceful retreat for many retirees, a dispute shattered the calm and ended the life of a man who had spent his career upholding the law. Chester Hornowski, a 71-year-old male and retired Chicago police officer, was fatally shot on December 5, 2017. Having served over 30 years with the Chicago Police Department and 36 years in the Illinois Army National Guard, Hornowski had relocated to the Ozarks, where he operated a
boarding house. It was in this setting that a disagreement over a noise complaint with a tenant would tragically escalate.
On that early December morning, authorities were called to Hornowski's residence to investigate a possible shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Hornowski deceased, having sustained multiple gunshot wounds to his hands, chest, and face. As law enforcement was securing the scene, a man attempted to flee in a pickup truck. The driver, identified as Robert Dean Penny, accelerated toward a deputy and ultimately crashed into a police vehicle. Two deputies fired their weapons at the fleeing truck.
Following the crash, Robert Dean Penny was apprehended and subsequently charged with first-degree murder in connection with Chester Hornowski's death. Investigators at the scene recovered a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol, believed to be the weapon used in the homicide. Penny was taken into custody and booked into the Baxter County Jail. The incident cut short the life of a man remembered for his long career in public service and his involvement in Chicago politics, where he had made several bids for public office.
