A Bella Vista man is being held in the Benton County Jail on a $250,000 bond in connection with a threat to a circuit judge.
Ricky Witcher, 54, was arrested Friday in connection with terroristic threatening in the first degree, a Class D felony, which is punishable with a prison sentence ranging up to six years in prison.
According to court documents, Will Tucker, the bailiff for Circuit Judge John Scott, reported on Jan. 10 that a the judge had been threatened. Tucker told Tim Srader, a detective with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, that he could contact David Cook, a process server, for details of the incident.
Cook served court papers in connection with legal matters in a divorce case.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Cook served the papers at Witcher’s job in Bella Vista. Cook said Witcher became very angry with the legal system, the affidavit states.
Cook said Witcher was shaking and pacing around the parking lot stating how he hated Scott and if he had a gun he would put a bullet in the judge’s head and kill him, according to court documents. Witcher repeated the statement several times, the affidavit states.
Witcher then told Cook that he was not going back to Scott’s courtroom and planned on leaving the state, the affidavit states. Cook said Witcher again stated that Scott and Bentonville attorneys Seth Bickett and Greg Clark needed to be killed, according to the affidavit.
Witcher’s arraignment is scheduled for 8 a.m. Feb. 18 in Circuit Judge Robin Green’s court.
He was being held Wednesday in the Benton County Jail with a $250,000 bond set.