Bella Vista man must serve year in jail

BENTONVILLE -- A Bella Vista man pleaded guilty last week in connection with threatening a circuit judge and two attorneys.

Ricky Witcher, 54, pleaded guilty to harassing communications, a Class A misdemeanor punishable with up to a year in jail.

The case stems from statements Witcher made about Judge John Scott and attorneys Seth Bickett and Greg Clark. Witcher was arrested Jan. 10.

David Cook, a process server, gave court papers to Witcher at his job in Bella Vista. The papers were in connection with legal matters in a divorce case.

Cook said Witcher became angry with the legal system and said how he hated Scott, and if he had a gun he would put a bullet in Scott's head. Cook said Witcher also said Clark and Bickett needed to be killed.

Clark represented Witcher and Bickett acted as a child ad litem attorney in the divorce case.

Witcher was charged with threatening a judicial officer, a Class B felony; and two counts of terroristic threatening, a Class D felony.

Witcher agreed to plead guilty to the misdemeanor under a plea agreement attorney Tyler Benson reached with Jason Barrett, a special prosecutor appointed to the case. Barrett amended the threatening a judicial officer charge to harassing communications and dismissed the terroristic threatening charges.

Witcher also pleaded guilty to another terroristic threatening charge and violating a protection order in connection with 2013 arrests.

Circuit Judge Robin Green accepted the plea agreements and Witcher's guilty pleas.

Witcher was sentenced to 365 days in the Benton County Jail. He was given credit for the 148 days he spent in jail awaiting his trial.

He was placed on six years of state-supervised probation for terroristic threatening and given a six-year suspended sentence for violating the no-contact order in the 2013 cases.

Witcher must complete the anger management program at Ozark Guidance in Springdale.

General News on 06/04/2014