Woman who lied to get her son arrested now charged herself

wireready_05-09-2018-23-08-02_02201_melvasellers

Melva Sellers of Mountain Home, who gave allegedly untruthful information to law enforcement officers regarding a hatchet attack resulting in her son’s arrest, has now been arrested herself for the false report.

Sellers was booked into the Baxter County Detention Center Wednesday morning and charged with the felony offense of filing a false report with a law enforcement agency. Her bond was set at $2,500.

In early 2017, the 74-year-old Melva Sellers alleged her son, Bradley Sellers, had attacked her with a hatchet during a heated argument.

She said her son had become angry with her because he had been put on probation and blamed his mother for his problems with the law.

Melva Sellers said her son had gotten a hatchet and threw it at her during one point in the confrontation between mother and son at their residence along Timberlane Road. She also told investigators her son had allegedly put the hatchet up to her neck and threatened to kill her. In an affidavit seeking an order of protection filed around the time of the alleged attack, Melva Sellers said her son had told her he wanted to “kill you so bad. I’m going to do it sooner or later.” The mother said she had told her son to “go ahead and do it.”

Melva Sellers appeared in Baxter County Circuit Court in January and recanted her statements in the affidavit for the Order of Protection, as well as statements she made about the alleged hatchet attack to the Baxter County deputy sheriff who responded to the initial domestic disturbance call.

She told the court it was not her son, but some unidentified man who had actually threatened her with the hatchet. She was unable to identify him, telling the court she and her son maintained an “open house” policy allowing people to stay in their home when they had no other place to go. Because of that policy, Melva Sellers said, people came and went frequently, and she was not acquainted with all of them.

Melva Sellers told the court having her son arrested was part of a somewhat bizarre plan to get rid of a woman who had had a relationship with her son. The mother said the woman was feeding her false information about her son, including saying he was addicted to methamphetamine.

The mother said she planned to falsely accuse her son of attacking her with the hatchet hoping he would be charged with a misdemeanor, landing him in jail and keeping him out of the house long enough to give her an opportunity to get rid of the unwanted female.

She told the court she was unaware her son could be charged with a felony based on what she reported to law enforcement.

The state did drop charges against Bradley Sellers. Fourteenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney David Ethredge said the type of charges Bradley Sellers faced were “victim driven” and if the victim was unwilling to proceed with the case or was untruthful in the information provided to law enforcement, the state had little choice but to drop the charges.

During Melva Seller’s court appearance in which she recanted the story she told resulting in her son’s arrest, Circuit Court Judge Gordon Webb asked her if she was aware she could be charged with a crime for giving false information to law enforcement. She replied she was aware that could happen.

Melva Sellers is set to appear in Baxter County Circuit Court in June to respond to the new charge.

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