After 23 years in prison, Arnold is savoring his second chance with generosity and gratitude.
He’s 67 years old and known not just for the meals he cooks at two Baton Rouge restaurants, Spoke & Hub and Soji, but for the surprise steak dinners, cheesecakes, and cold drinks that he brings to his co-workers. They call it Mr. A’s bag of goodies. Arnold calls it appreciation.
“He’s a godsend. He is always early, works well with others and he’s always getting people to smile,” said Renara Johnson, General Manager at Spoke & Hub. “He tells jokes, comes in with his goodie bag. From the day he walked in, he has been an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Arnold – affectionately known as Pops and Mr. A – is a father of six and a grandfather of 17. He has white hair and a bushy white beard. He’s soft-spoken, humble and his kindness stretches wider than the smile that meets the corners of his eyes.
At his parole hearing a year ago, State Police Capt. Patrick Washington spoke in support of Arnold’s release, highlighting his work ethic.
“Everybody just instantly fell in love with him,” Washington said. “If you ever go to his work location, you will wonder where’s that lightning strike moving around because he never stops moving. Even if he’s done with his work, he goes and helps someone else do theirs.”
Since his release from prison in December 2024, Arnold has remained true to his reputation. He started working at Spoke & Hub in March, and when his hours were reduced in June due to the restaurant slowing down, he picked up another job at Soji, just a few buildings away. He worked six days per week at both locations, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Spoke & Hub and 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Soji. Before saving enough to buy his own vehicle – a used Hummer for $3,500 – he rode the bus daily.
“I was only late to my job once and it was because the bus was so late, but since I’ve had my vehicle, I get to work 30 to 45 minutes early,” he said.
Arnold credits his time with Parole Project and the classes on financial literacy for teaching him how to budget and save. He lived in one of Parole Project’s transitional houses for one year after his release to save money and build stability.
“I am thankful for Parole Project and for Christi and Kelly. It was the first time I paid cash for a vehicle,” he said. “I always had to finance them. But I saved up enough money to buy it and get the insurance and tags.”
Arnold grew up in West Monroe, one of seven siblings – six boys and a girl. His parents both worked full-time, instilling in him a strong work ethic.
“I’ve always worked my whole life,” he said. “When I was 14, I vacuumed cars at the car wash and before that I was always mowing and raking yards, making money that way.”
He was especially close to his father, who died when Arnold was 30. Sundays were the only day his father had off, and they spent many mornings hunting together. Arnold remembers waking him early, eager to go. His childhood was full of sports – both playing and watching – and he is comforted by the memory of dunking hot cornbread into a cold cup of milk – his favorite snack.
A week before leaving Baton Rouge earlier this month to go to North Louisiana to live with his son, Arnold sat in a booth at Spoke & Hub, sandwiched between Johnson and Nicole “Jazz” Hood, the kitchen manager, reminiscent about the last 10 months together and planning a road trip reunion to visit him.
“He is a great model for what a man should be,” Hood said. “He lets me have my moments and then he always lets me know it’s going to be alright. God couldn’t have sent a better person.”
