A man charged with murder is set to go on trial next week in Baxter County Circuit Court/Criminal Division.
Forty-six-year-old Dusty Wheeler is currently free on a $500,000 bond. He is required to live with his mother in the small town of Newark in Independence County and to wear an ankle monitor.
Wheeler was arrested June 14, 2024, after Mountain Home Police were called to a residence along Sunny Ann Lane about 6 a.m. and found a woman’s body sitting in a lawn chair outside the house.
The victim, identified as then 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 said 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 had entered a not guilty plea during a court session held shortly after his arrest.
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.
Circuit Judge John Putman did reduce the bond from $1 million to $500,000 at one point but turned down a defense request for a further reduction to $250,000.
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