Cape County judge denies man's request to be released to parents

Despite having his parents guarantee they will take him back to Pennsylvania and return him for any court dates, the man accused of assisting in a shooting will be staying put.

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. He has been charged with assault and armed criminal action.

Summers asked Judge William Syler if he could be released to his parents, who live in Carmichael, Pa.

Syler denied the motion Monday.

Summers' mother, Cynthia Summers, testified that, with the exception of a speeding ticket in Ohio, her son had never been in trouble with the law and had even graduated cum laude from Southern Illinois University.

Seth Summers has Scheuermann's kyphosis, a skeletal disorder akin to scoliosis, and is in constant pain, his mother told Syler. He has had three surgeries for the condition, she said.

On the basis of his poor health and relatively clean criminal record, Summers' attorney, Albert Lowes, asked Syler he be released from custody until his next court date.

Cape Girardeau County assistant prosecuting attorney John Koester argued that, due to the nature of the crime, Summers should not be released.

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.

Koester said the crime had been premeditated and that Summers and Bell had every intention of killing the victim. Investigators found latex gloves, bleach and a change of clothes in Summers' car, as well as texts between Summers and Bell about the assault, Koester said.

Summers will be in court again Dec. 5, while Bell will be in court Feb. 21 for a pretrial conference.

psullivan@semissourian.com

388-3635

Pertinent address:

Neelys Landing, MO