A pair of bungling would-be-hitmen were foiled by police after one of the alleged co-conspirators sat on his mobile phone accidentally "butt-dialling" the potential victim and revealing the details of their planned hit, police have said.

Larry Barnett, a used car dealer from Jonesboro, was reportedly in the process of plotting the murder of his former employee, James Macom, when he accidentally dialled his phone while talking to a hit man.

According to reports the two men were discussing the details of the hit, including where Macom lived and why and how he should be killed, when Mr Barnett 'unknowingly made' a phone call to his former employee.

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During the call, which lasted around an hour and a half, Barnett was allegedly heard telling another man to do whatever it took to kill Mr Macom.

At one point Mr Barnett can be heard saying: "I don't care if you have to burn his house to the ground with him in it.

I don't care what you have to do, make it look like an accident," local TV KAIT8.com reported.

Mr Macom, who said he overheard Barnett give another man directions to his home, alerted the police as the phone call was ongoing realising that he had been dialled unintentionally.

Mr Macom was away from his home at the time of the call and police arrived at his home to find an intruder had apparently broken in and started a gas leak.

ABC news reported the Macom and Barnett were involved in a long-term dispute over the ownership of a vehicle and unpaid wages.

“I owe the little son of a b**ch a bunch of money and if he’s gone, I don’t have to pay for it,” Barnett allegedly said to the unknown man ABC reported.

He promised to pay $5,000 up front to begin with, according to Macom’s police report.

Barnett reportedly accidentally dialled the number of his potential victim when looking up his details on his phone before putting it in his back pocket.

As well as being charged with conspiracy to commit murder Mr Barnett also faces allegations of forgery.