Bond request on hold for Cape man accused in shooting

A Cape Girardeau man accused of assault and armed criminal action had his request for bond reduction put on hold Tuesday.

Seth Summers, 31, has been held at the Cape Girardeau County Justice Center on a $200,000 cash bond since an Aug. 28 shooting that left a man with a gunshot wound to the head. Rather than lowering the bond, Cape Girardeau Circuit Judge Scott Thomsen put a "quick setting" on Summers' preliminary hearing so he can hear testimony and see evidence before determining whether bail will be reduced.

Summers' preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 6.

The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department received a 911 call after a man covered in blood knocked on a door in the Neelys Landing area, a news release said. It was determined after officers arrived on the scene that the victim had a gunshot wound to the head. Summers and Jimmy Ray Bell, 28, have been in custody since.

The victim identified the two men as the ones who had assaulted him, the release said.

The victim told police that the three of them had parked on a county road and were drinking when Bell pulled out a handgun. The victim said he was then sprayed in the face with pepper spray and shot by Bell. Bell and Summers allegedly fled the area in Summers' vehicle, and they were arrested a short time later by deputies.

While asking Thomsen to reduce Summers' bond to $100,000, Summers' attorney, Albert Lowes, cited Summers' clean criminal record and poor health, as well as a letter from his employer that attests to Summers' qualities.

Assistant prosecuting attorney Julia Meiners argued that the injuries and the evidence against Summers should keep the bond at $200,000. The victim still has a bullet lodged in his sinuses and his left eye is destroyed, Meiners said. Investigators found latex gloves, bleach and a change of clothes in Summers' car, as well as texts between Summers and Bell about the assault, Meiners said.

Bell will be arraigned Monday.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Neelys Landing, MO