The investigation of a non-fatal shooting on Jan. 3 in Ozark Acres, Ark., has resulted in weapon and drug-related charges being filed against the alleged shooter in Sharp County, Ark.
Sharp County Sheriff Shane Russell, in a report provided to the Quill, stated deputies responded to a location after a 911 call from the victim, Joseph B. Mitchell, who said he had been shot multiple times by Leo B. Noel, 49, of Williford in Sharp County.
Mitchell was reportedly found in his home, injured, with three gunshot wounds to the right leg and one to the left leg, and was transported to White River Medical Center in Batesville, Ark., for treatment, Russell added.
Noel had reportedly also called 911 to state he had been attacked by Mitchell as he was attempting to leave, and that Mitchell had climbed on top of Noel's truck and was hitting the windshield with a machete. Noel allegedly said he shot in self-defense, and was taken into custody for an investigative hold while a search warrant was executed at his home. Russell added that it appeared there were six bullet holes from a gun on the driver's side windshield of the pickup truck and evidence of a large object striking it from the outside.
The sheriff reported four search warrants total were carried out in connection with the incident, resulting in the discovery of methamphetamine and distributable amounts of marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms, narcotics, needles and 12 firearms.
At the time of the initial investigation, three people, including Noel, were arrested on multiple drug and firearm-related charges, Russell said, emphasizing the seriousness of crimes involving drugs and firearms because of the likelihood of violence and drug overdose during such incidents. Russell also noted the Sharp County Sheriff's Department and the Arkansas 3rd Judicial District Drug Task Force seized $1.6 million in drugs during 2023.
Cases against the other two individuals are still being processed, court records show, but Noel was charged Monday with a felony count of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, two felony counts of possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor charges of possession of less than 4 ounces of a schedule 6 controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
A probable cause statement submitted to prosecutors alleges that firearms; gummies infused with THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis; a candy bar that contained psilocybin mushrooms; and a white pill identified as a controlled substance were found in a bedroom in Noel's home.
Alleged drug paraphernalia found in the suspect's home included multiple weighing scales, one of which had residue on it, plus a glass smoking device. The candy bar that contained the mushrooms weighed out at more than 28 grams, but less than 200 grams, the statement noted.
