HS woman allegedly conceals details of juvenile shooting

Seger
Seger

A Hot Springs woman who was caring for a 4-year-old boy when he was shot in the foot in October was arrested Tuesday for allegedly lying to deputies in order to protect the suspected shooter.

Sherri Young Seger, 54, who lists a Little Mazarn Road address, was taken into custody around 10 a.m. Tuesday on a misdemeanor warrant for hindering apprehension or prosecution, punishable by up to one year in jail.

She was later released on $1,000 bond and is set to appear in Garland County District Court on Jan. 29.

According to the probable cause affidavit, on Oct. 14, 2017, Garland County sheriff's investigators received a report of a 4-year-old boy being admitted to CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs with a gunshot wound to his right foot.

The incident reportedly occurred at an address on Little Mazarn Road. Deputies searched the home with the consent of the homeowner, Seger, while she was interviewed at the sheriff's department.

During her interview, Seger reportedly stated her house lost power around 11 p.m. on Oct. 13 and she thought she heard something outside. She said she grabbed a gun from a closet in another room because one of her sons owed people money and she thought it was the "Mexican Mafia" coming to collect.

Around 3:30 a.m., the lights in her house reportedly came back on, so she slept with the lights on and the gun sitting next to her. She allegedly told deputies she awoke to the sound of a gunshot and saw the juvenile bleeding.

She reportedly said the juvenile was sleeping in her room and that she, the juvenile, and another woman were the only ones inside the house at the time the gun discharged. She later requested a lawyer and deputies ended the interview.

Deputies later learned Noah Michael Veuthey, 18, was inside the residence at the time of the incident. On Oct. 16, deputies interviewed Veuthey, who reportedly stated the gun accidentally discharged as he was leaning over the bed.

He said the barrel was pressed against the mattress when it went off and then he realized the boy, who was sleeping on the floor next to the bed, had been struck in the foot by the bullet. Veuthey said the gun that discharged was a .40-caliber Beretta. He reportedly admitted he put a 9-mm handgun on the bed and put a 9-mm shell casing on the floor nearby and then left with the Beretta.

He said Seger and the other woman were trying to protect him because he had no record and they did not want him getting into trouble and they did not call 911 because "everyone was in a panic."

Veuthey was arrested that day and charged with a felony count of second-degree battery, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of tampering with physical evidence.

He was released the next day on $5,000 bond and pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 2 in Garland County Circuit Court. A hearing to determine the admissibility of his statement to investigators is set for March 13.

A warrant for Seger's arrest was issued on Nov. 13, 2017.

Local on 01/11/2018

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