In the line of duty, 42-year-old Conway Police Officer Lawrence Ray Noblitt, a male, was fatally shot on November 7, 1988. A ten-year veteran of the department and a U.S. Army Reservist, he was survived by his wife and daughter. On that fateful night, Officer Noblitt was on patrol when he observed a man attempting to hook up a flatbed trailer and radioed dispatch that he was stopping to investigate the suspicious activity.
During the investigation, the man, later identified as Kenneth
Ray Clements, shot Officer Noblitt five times at point-blank range with a. 44 caliber handgun. Despite being mortally wounded, Officer Noblitt heroically pursued his assailant for about 50 feet before he collapsed. A civilian who came upon the scene used the officer's police radio to summon help.
The ensuing investigation uncovered a criminal conspiracy involving Clements and two of Noblitt's fellow Conway police officers, R.L. 'Dickie' McMillen and Randy Leach. The officers were found to be involved with Clements in a plan to commit theft and robbery. Clements was arrested a few days after the murder following a manhunt. Both McMillen and Leach were also arrested and faced charges related to the conspiracy.
Kenneth Ray Clements was initially convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death. However, this conviction was overturned on a technicality. In a subsequent retrial, he was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison, with an additional 16 years for theft, for a total of 36 years. Clements was paroled in June 2004 but was then transferred to a federal prison to serve a 20-year sentence for unrelated narcotics violations. The two other officers were also prosecuted for their roles in the criminal enterprise.
