Man charged with murder in death of woman set to go on trial

A man charged with murder appeared during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division on Monday.
Forty-four-year-old Dusty Wheeler is now set to go to trial early next month. It is estimated the trial will take up to four days.

Wheeler is free on a $500,000 bond written by Triple R Bail Bonds.

The certificate of compliance filed by Triple R as required by Act 659 of 2023 shows Dusty Wheeler paid the $50,080 in bond fees including 10 percent of the face amount of the bond.

Wheeler was arrested June 14 last year after Mountain Home Police were called to a residence along Sunny Ann Lane about 6 a.m. and found a woman sitting in a lawn chair outside the house.

The victim, identified as 36-year-old Heather Bradford, was reported to be cold and showing no cardiac rhythm when Baxter Health paramedics arrived on the scene.

She was reported to have been shot in the head. An entry wound was found on the top left side of the victim’s head behind her ear and an exit wound located on the bottom right side of the head behind the ear.

Wheeler, who was found inside the residence asleep on the couch, was arrested and charged with first degree murder. He has pled not guilty.

The subject of bond for Wheeler has come up several times during sessions of Baxter County Circuit Court. One of Wheeler’s attorneys, Ben Burnett, filed the original motion for a bond reduction in June last year.

Circuit Judge John Putman did reduce the bond from $1 million to $500,000 a month later.

The defense continued to ask for a lowering of the bond. A hearing was held February 24 during which another of Wheeler’s attorneys, Ben Gibson, asked the court to further lower Wheeler’s bond to $250,000.

Gibson said his client was not a flight risk, had no past criminal history and would be willing to abide by any conditions set by the court. The court was told Wheeler would be living with his mother in the small Independence County town of Newark.

He will be required to wear an ankle monitor and will bear the expense of the monitor and to have no contact with the victim’s family.

Any violations of the conditions set for the bond will result in Wheeler being returned to jail.

After a lengthy hearing, Judge Putman denied the request and said the $500,000 bond was fair given the allegations in the case.

The state has objected to all of the requests to lower Wheeler’s bond.

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