FAYETTEVILLE -- A Springdale teen pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, two counts of battery and a misdemeanor marijuana charge related to a fatal shooting Friday in Springdale.
Hector Saul Ramos, 17, who is being charged as an adult, wore shackles and a green jail uniform when he appeared before Judge Joanna Taylor in Washington County Circuit Court to hear the charges against him and enter a plea. Security was heavy in and around the courtroom.
Taylor accepted Ramos' not-guilty plea and set his next court appearance for April 16.
"We call that a trial date, but what it is is a chance for your attorney and the prosecutor to come before the court and tell me what is going on in your case," Taylor explained. "We will not be calling a jury that day."
Ramos faces 10 to 40 years or life in prison. The battery charges carry prison terms of five to 20 years. He was represented by the Washington County Public Defender's Office in court Tuesday.
Ramos' relatives were in the courtroom but weren't allowed to have any contact with him.
Ramos is being held in the Washington County Juvenile Detention Center on a $250,000 bond. Ramos will continue to be held at the juvenile facility if he doesn't make bond, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutor Matt Durrett said he hasn't made a decision on if anyone else involved in the incident will be charged with a crime and, if so, whether they will be charged as adults.
The shooting early Friday left one teen dead, sent two other young people to the hospital and led to Ramos' arrest, Springdale police said.
Police found Fabian Rodriguez, 18, of 2406 Trudi Place, with a gunshot wound at 3:21 a.m. Friday in the yard of 32 Applegate Drive, according to Springdale police. Rodriguez was pronounced dead at Northwest Medical Center-Springdale.
Savannah Smith, 21, and a 14-year-old boy, both with gunshot wounds, arrived at the hospital shortly after the shooting, police said. Neither had life-threatening wounds.
Police said Ramos, who lived with his mother, told them he saw people outside his apartment "banging on the window and one was holding a machete," according to a news release. Ramos fired a gun through the window and hit two people, police said.
Ramos then chased them, firing more shots as the teens fled, police said. He also shot into a car where Smith was in the driver's seat, according to police.
A handgun was found in a drainage ditch near the apartment, and a machete was found near Rodriguez, according to police.
NW News on 03/18/2015