GRAVETTE - A Gravette man remains in Benton County Jail after District Judge Jeff Conner, Thursday, set his bond at $100,000.

Anthony Jacob Oliver, 25, is being held in connection with residential burglary, theft of property and filing a false report with police.

What began on the afternoon of May 14 with a call from a man who claimed he had been shot at his home in Gravette ended with the man’s arrest at a Springdale residence later that evening.

The 911 call was made about 1:30 p.m. when Oliver reported he had been shot in the leg while scuffling with an intruder at his home, located at 307 Dallas Street S.E.

An afternoon of caution, some confusion and much cooperation followed, with Gravette schools being placed in lock-down mode and a several-block area in southeast Gravette swarmed by dozens of law officers.

Oliver described the man who fled the scene as a young, white male with blond hair and wearing a grey shirt and white shorts. He also described the man as saying, “Do you remember me ?”

The victim was transported by Gravette’s paramedic team to Ozarks Community Hospital, where he was further questioned by officers. He received treatment and was released sometime later.

Search of the several block area near the Gravette Middle School continued by local officers, who were joined by Benton County Sheriff deputies, as well as officers from neighboring towns of Decatur, Sulphur Springs and Bella Vista. Arkansas State Police personnel and Brian Mc-Kinzie, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission control officer, also assisted with traffic control.

Precautions Continue

Because of the unknown whereabouts of the reported assailant, all four Gravette schools - Middle School, Upper Elementary, Glenn Duffy Elementary and Gravette High School - were locked-down.

Richard Page, superintendent of Gravette Schools, said the school followed procedures developed for such a crisis situation. Parents were notified through the school’s notification system.

As the search continued, Sheriff Kelley Cradduck and five members of his criminal investigation division joined to head the investigation. The county’s special weapons and tactics team was also dispatched to the scene. Keshia Guyll, county deputy and information officer, coordinated communication during the afternoon and evening.

During the search, officers utilized an explosive device called a “flash blast” at an adjacent vacant house but, upon entry, no one was found.

Lock-down of the schools continued until about 3:30 p.m. when,with direction and escort by officers, parents were allowed to pick up their children, and buses began their afternoon runs to take children to their homes.

Gravette’s interim police chief, Speed Estep, said that a nearby resident returned to his home later in the afternoon and discovered it had been burglarized.

He reported several weapons, ammunition, jewelry and a quantity of cash were missing.

During the investigation of that crime, shoe prints matching the size 13 shoes Oliver admitted to wearing were discovered.

As the investigation progressed, it became evident to police there had been no intruder and that Oliver had accidentally shot himself.

“He tried to cover up the burglary and made up the story that the suspect shot him,” Guyll said.

Officers had discovered blood and a shotgun at the crime scene and later recovered several weapons in a shed on the property. The weapons and other items recovered matched those reported taken from the nearby home. The items were returned to their owners, Estep said.

In an unrelated incident, a weapon had been reported stolen from another nearby home several weeks earlier. It was not among those recovered.

Neighbors said the Oliver family had moved to the residence sometime before the first of the year. Oliver’s wife was not at home at the time of the shooting, and two children were attending school.

Follow-up Responses

Gravette Mayor Byron Warren had high praise for the response by police and emergency personnel.

“Their performance was awesome!” Warren said.

He noted that several of the city’s police and emergency personnel were at a truck accident between Gravette and Hiwasse when the shooting was reported. The overturned gravel truck had blocked highway 72, causing rerouting of traffic for a period of time. No injuries were reported at that accident.

Warren said cooperation from the county and nearby town personnel was “awesome” and “greatly appreciated.”

He also said that emergency personnel were required for an ambulance medical call almost immediately following their response to the shooting site.

Chief Estep kept using the word “appreciate, appreciate, appreciate” as he described the response from the Benton County Sheriff’s office and area police departments.

“The mutual-aid response was so great,” he said. “Their help enabled the situation to be controlled; the CID and SWAT teams provided the expertise in investigating the crime scene and reaching a successful conclusion.”

He noted the helpfulness of Deputy Keshia Guyll in relaying accurate information, particularly to the media.

Estep also had high praise for the eight officers in the Gravette Police Department, and the part-time officers, who responded so quickly and on short notice.

Superintendent Page said the Tuesday incident was an “ideal practice situation” for the schools to test the effectiveness and their readiness to respond to “crisis” situations. He complimented all the school personnel for their response in securing the buildings and protecting the children.

A debriefing for school personnel with representatives from the sheriff’s office and Gravette Police Department was held Wednesday to discuss and critique the situation.

Page said some areas which may need tweaking will be noted by the school’s safety committee as it updates school policy guidelines.

News, Pages 1 on 05/22/2013