BENTONVILLE (KFSM) — A Rogers man found not guilty last month of capital murder won’t face drug trafficking charges stemming from an August arrest.
The Benton County prosecutor’s office said Tuesday (Oct. 16) it didn’t believe there was enough evidence to file charges against Cody Wise.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Wise on Aug. 20 after investigators learned through Facebook messages that he was planning to buy methamphetamine, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Deputies didn’t find any illicit items in Wise’s truck, but jail staff later found three grams of meth and a glass smoking device under his scrotum, according to the affidavit.
Sgt. Shannon Jenkins, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said it’s not uncommon for charges to get dropped, dismissed or not formally filed with a court.
“The only thing we as law enforcement can do is collect evidence, make arrest and present (it) to the prosecutor’s office,” Jenkins said.
Wise, 29, was acquitted Sept. 27 in Madison County Circuit Court for the fatal shooting of 53-year-old Ronnie Kultgen in 2015.
At the time, an eyewitness to the murder told investigators Wise said he killed Kultgen because the victim stole $2,000 from him, according to an arrest report.
Kultgen’s body was found after a months-long search in Madison County in 2015.
