A reward offered last week for information on the July murder of a Newport Township man has generated several new leads, police said Thursday.
Last week, the family of 42-year-old Patrick Arnold and the millwright union he worked for offered a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the man's murder.
"The reward has generated several calls, and we are following up on those leads," said Washington County Sheriff Larry Mincks. "I would say as many as 40 people have been interviewed as part of the investigation into this case."
Mincks remained tight-lipped about many of the details surrounding the investigation.
Arnold had been a union member for more than 18 years and was well-respected at the Pleasants Power Station where he worked on mechanical equipment. He also owned several rental properties in Washington County.
Arnold was divorced with no children and lived alone. On July 24, a neighbor found him dead outside his residence at 2410 Bells Run Road.
Mincks urged anyone with information about the crime to come forward.
"We have persons of interest, not yet labeled suspects, but we definitely have people we are interested in," Mincks said. "We also believe there are some individuals with information that would be very beneficial to us if they would be willing to come forward. Depending on the extent of their involvement, they may or may not be facing criminal charges."
Mincks said on an average day six to 10 officers continue to pursue leads in the murder case.
"They are working at least 80 percent of a day on this case," he said. "Sometimes other things come up and they have to pull away for a while, but this case is their primary focus."
Bells Run Road resident Francis Stevens said what happened to Arnold remains a hot topic in his neighborhood.
"We're all still wondering what happened and if they've found anything out," Stevens said.
