An Arkansas man arrested last year after shooting a 4-year-old boy in the foot with a stolen gun and trying to cover it up has pleaded guilty to multiple charges.
Noah Michael Veuthey, 19, pleaded guilty to felony counts of second-degree battery and theft by receiving of a firearm and a misdemeanor count of tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to six years in prison, with the entire sentence suspended and 120 days in the Garland County jail on each felony count, to run concurrently, fined a total of $3,000 and ordered to pay $590 in court costs and fees.
On Oct. 14, 2017, Garland County sheriff's investigators responded to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs regarding a 4-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to his right foot.
An investigation determined the injury occurred at the residence of Sherri Young Seger, 54, at 347 Little Mazarn Road, who gave consent to search her home while she was interviewed at the sheriff's department.
During the interview, Seger told investigators she, another woman and the victim were alone in the house with the victim sleeping in her room. She claimed she had a gun beside her because she feared the "Mexican Mafia" was coming to collect money and she awoke at one point to the sound of a gunshot and saw the victim bleeding.
Investigators later learned Veuthey was inside the residence at the time. On Oct. 16, deputies interviewed Veuthey, who stated he was in possession of a Beretta .40-caliber handgun and leaning over the bed when it accidentally discharged and hit the victim, who was sleeping on the floor next to the bed.
He said he placed another handgun on the bed and a spent shell casing on the floor "as to indicate that it was the weapon that fired the round that hit the juvenile," and then left the residence with the Beretta.
On Jan. 9, Seger was charged with a misdemeanor count of hindering apprehension or prosecution for her part in covering up what happened. She pleaded no contest to the charge on July 26 and was sentenced to one year in jail with the entire sentence suspended, nine months' probation and was ordered to pay $640 in court costs.