Springdale man pleads guilty in drive-by shooting

 Michael J. Gutierrez
Michael J. Gutierrez

FAYETTEVILLE -- A Springdale man involved in an Aug. 4 drive-by shooting on Crutcher Street pleaded guilty in Washington County Circuit Court on Friday to committing a terroristic act and other related charges.

Michael J. Gutierrez, 30, also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a gun, tampering with evidence and theft by receiving.

Gutierrez was sentenced to 20 years at the Arkansas Department of Correction with five years suspended on the terroristic act charge and six years each on the gun charge, tampering with evidence charge and theft charge. The terms will run concurrently.

Two bullet holes were found in a home at 1310 Crutcher St. after a drive-by shooting at 5:30 a.m. Aug. 4, according to a police report. No one was injured.

A witness told police he saw someone in a vehicle shoot five rounds. Police found shell casings at the shooting scene, according to a report.

Gutierrez denied involvement with the shooting initially, but later confessed to being the driver of the vehicle used during the shooting, according to a news release.

The shooting was one of a string of violent incidents in Springdale last spring and summer.

A few weeks after the Crutcher Street shooting, a man was injured in a shooting near Springdale High School. That shooting happened four days after two men were shot and injured at 1101 N. Pleasant St. A 14-year-old boy was shot while riding a bicycle June 25 near Marylyn Street and Crawford Avenue.

On April 11, Jimmy Rodriguez, 20, died after being injured in a drive-by shooting at 609 Savage St. in Springdale. Fabian Rodriguez, 18, was fatally shot and two others injured March 13 on Applegate Drive.

NW News on 02/06/2016

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