Gravette Man Pleads Guilty To Burglary, False Alarm

A Gravette man pleaded guilty this week to burglary and other charges related to an incident in which he claimed he’d been shot by an intruder at his home.

Anthony Jacob Oliver, 26, was sentenced to 19 years in prison with about nine years suspended after pleading guilty Monday to residential burglary, a Class B felony; theft of property and filing a false police report, both Class D felonies; and communicating a false alarm, a Class A misdemeanor; according to A.J. Anglin, a deputy prosecuting attorney. Oliver received credit for 195 days served in jail.

The plea was made in Benton County Circuit Judge Brad Karren’s courtroom.

Oliver claimed he’d been shot May 14 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 law enforcement agencies responded to the scene and assisted in the search for the suspect.

Oliver later was named as a suspect in a burglary of a neighbor’s home where guns had been stolen, according to court documents. Keshia Guyll with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred when Oliver returned home and accidentally shot himself in the leg while hiding the guns.

Oliver claimed to police he’d been shot in a scuffle with a scraggly blond man, according to Guyll.

Oliver will be required to pay victim restitution to the homeowner and an insurance company, Anglin said.

Prosecutors made certain the time Oliver is required to serve would exceed 10 years so he wouldn’t be eligible for boot camp, Anglin said. Boot camp, an alternative to prison, is a 105-day, military-style program for first-time, nonviolent inmates, according to the Arkansas Department of Correction.

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