BENTONVILLE — A Gravette man pleaded not guilty to charges he accidentally shot himself with a stolen gun.
Anthony Jacob Oliver, 25, is charged with residential burglary, a Class B felony; theft of property and filing a false police report with a law enforcement agency; both Class D felonies; and communicating a false alarm, a Class A misdemeanor. He pleaded not guilty Monday during his arraignment before Circuit Judge Brad Karren.
The arraignment was held via video from the Benton County Jail.
Oliver, with the aid of a crutch, walked up to the camera, stood by his attorney and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The other crutch remained where Oliver was sitting in the courtroom at the Benton County Jail.
Oliver accidentally shot himself in the leg, according to court documents. He was arrested May 14.
Oliver claimed he was shot during an attempted burglary of his home and the suspect then fled the home, according to court documents. His call for help set off a manhunt, which included placing Gravette schools in the area on lockdown.
Several different law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and assisted in the search. Benton County’s SWAT team aided in the effort to find the shooting suspect, according to court documents.
Oliver was taken to a hospital.
Oliver was later named as a suspect in a burglary of a neighbor’s home where guns had been stolen, according to court documents.
Keshia Guyll, a spokesman for the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, previously said the shooting occurred when Oliver returned home and accidentally shot himself while hiding the guns.
“He tried to cover up the burglary and made up the story that the suspect shot him,” Guyll said.
Oliver had claimed to police he was shot in a scuffle with a scraggly blond haired man, according to Guyll.
Oliver is being held on $100,000 bond in the Benton County Jail.
His next court appearance is set for Aug. 15.