Jury trial set for man accused of threatening judge

A May jury trial was scheduled for a Bella Vista man accused of threatening a judge and two attorneys.

Ricky Lee Witcher, 54, is charged with threatening a judicial officer/juror, a Class B felony, and two counts of terroristic threatening in the degree, a Class D felony. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Witcher appeared in court Wednesday for a bond hearing.

His bond was set at $350,000 and Witcher’s attorney, Tyler Benson, had requested a bond reduction for his client.

Circuit Judge Robin Green denied the motion and Witcher will remain in the Benton County Jail on the $350,000 bond.

The judge set Witcher’s jury trial to begin May 28. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. May 27.

Witcher’s arrest stems from statements Witcher made concerning Circuit Judge John Scott and attorneys Greg Clark and Seth Bickett, according to court documents.

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

Cook said Witcher became angry with the legal system, according to the probable cause affidavit. Witcher said he hated Scott, and if he had a gun, he would put a bullet in Scott’s head, Cook said. Witcher repeated the statement several times, according to court documents. Witcher told Cook he wasn’t going back to Scott’s court and planned to leave the state, according to the affidavit.

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