Indictment Issued For Man Charged With Fatal Shooting Of Former Alexander County School Board Member

The suspect charged with the fatal shooting of an Alexander County man has been indicted by a Catawba County Grand Jury.

85-year-old Willard Gary Black of Hickory is charged with the murder of 59-year-old Robert Roger Arguelles of Taylorsville. Arguelles was shot multiple times at the Old Hickory Tannery on the afternoon of June 17.

The day of the shooting, a judge had ordered Black to comply with an agreement in a lawsuit to turn the business over to Arguelles. The lawsuit was filed by Arguelles in 2024 to get back around $300,000 he loaned Black to fund business operations.

Arguelles, an Alexander County School Board member had met with company employees at the Newton facility just prior to the shooting. Arguelles was unarmed and Newton Police has stated there was no evidence of an altercation that preceded the shooting. The incident has been described as an “ambush.”

Reports indicate the Black admitted to officers that he shot Arguelles. The suspected firearm was found at the scene.

Black remains in the Catawba County Jail with bond listed at $250,000.

The Hickory Daily Record contributed to this report