Motel employee shooter denied bond reduction

Gary Frans (Photo courtesy of Baxter County Sheriff’s Office)

A man who said he was upset by music a motel cleaning crew was playing in the room next to his is being charged with criminal attempt to commit first-degree murder stemming from the shooting of a motel employee.

Sixty-four-year-old Gary Frans of Mountain Home appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court Monday and pled not guilty to the charges against him.

The court was asked to reduce Frans’ bond from $500,000 to $250,000, but Circuit Judge John Putman denied the request.

Frans was reported to be living at the Mountain Home Inn when the incident occurred.

Officers from the Mountain Home Police Department responded to the report of a shooting at the motel on the afternoon of March 16.

Two female members of the cleaning crew, one of whom was 16-years-old, told officers they had been working in a room next to the one occupied by Frans.

They said the victim worked at the front desk at the Mountain Inn and had come to the room where they were working to give them instructions.

An obviously inebriated Frans complained about the music, and the crew members said the victim told Frans, whose blood alcohol level was .27, three times the legal limit in Arkansas, to go back to his room and mind his own business.

At that point, Frans is alleged to have raised the gun he was carrying and fired three shots at the front desk person who was in the room, hitting him all three times.

The victim is reported to have pleaded with Frans not to shoot him, but Frans did not reply as the shots were being fired.

According to the probable cause affidavit, the victim was taken to Baxter Health and then transported to CoxHealth Medical Center South in Springfield.

The heavily intoxicated Frans was arrested in his room where he was found sitting with a firearm at his feet.

In addition to criminal attempt to commit first-degree capital murder, Frans is charged with aggravated assault.

Frans is set to reappear April 21.

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