VAN BUREN -- A man charged in Crawford County Circuit Court in the death of his fiancee's 2-year-old daughter in November left the state rather than meet with police over a preliminary autopsy that classified the girl's death as a homicide.
Van Buren police detective Wesley Marsh testified Wednesday during a bond reduction hearing that Jordan Shreeve, 34, agreed to go to the police station to talk about the autopsy report the day after Olivia Soto died, but first wanted to get some breakfast. Marsh said Shreeve never showed up at the police station.
Instead, police say, Shreeve went to Michigan where he has relatives and remained out of police contact for three months until he returned to Van Buren in mid-February to collect his belongings and return to Michigan. Shreeve's attorney, Chad Atwell of Fayetteville, said he had given police and prosecutors Shreeve's address in Michigan.
The autopsy report said the girl died from severe head trauma and that the injuries were inconsistent with Shreeve's story that she fell out of a crib, according to police.
On Feb. 15, a police officer spotted a moving van in Shreeve's driveway at 2210 Granite Circle. After first telling officers that Shreeve was not in Van Buren, Marsh testified, Shreeve's fiancee admitted that he was at a Van Buren hotel where police found and arrested him.
He has been charged with first-degree murder in Olivia's death, and his bail was set at $1 million.
Atwell asked Circuit Judge Mike Medlock to lower Shreeve's bail to $250,000. Atwell said he didn't think his client could pay any bond amount, but if he did, Shreeve wanted to move back to Michigan.
At the end of the hearing, Medlock ordered Shreeve's bail lowered to $750,000. If he pays the bond, Medlock said, Shreeve must remain in Arkansas and get a job or enter a drug rehabilitation facility.
Atwell said Shreeve has been charged in the past only with traffic violations and has always paid his fines. Court records showed that Shreeve was cited five times since 2009 for failure to wear a seat belt and for failure to yield.
Shreeve's ex-wife Pamela Shreeve testified Wednesday that Shreeve was addicted to drugs during the eight years of their marriage. They divorced in 2016. She said there were no instances of abuse of her or their child during the marriage.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Presley argued that Shreeve had no connection to the community that would keep him from fleeing. His only reputation was that of a drug user, the prosecutor said.
If Shreeve were allowed to return to Michigan, he said, the state might have to extradite him to get him back to Arkansas.
State Desk on 03/07/2019