Guilty pleas thrown out in Miller Co. child sodomy case

A Miller County man pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible sodomy of a 5-month-old baby in July, but those pleas were thrown out Friday by a judge.

The case had been scheduled for final sentencing, and after hearing emotional victim evidence and arguments from both sides, the court questioned 26-year-old Michael Fisher about his pre-trial statements.

The judge said the court is responsible for making sure defendants give the guilty plea knowingly and voluntarily, supported by facts.

Later statements made by Fisher were not consistent with his testimony during the guilty plea hearing. This caused the judge to set aside the previous court proceedings and re-enter Fisher’s not guilty pleas. The case was ordered to be reset for trial before a different judge.

Miller County Prosecutor Matt Howard said he was “extremely disappointed that the case could not be concluded because of the emotional toil that the case has had on the victim’s family.”

Judge Hayden ordered the case reset for a pre-trial appearance on December 3.