Ollie Man Accused of Murder Pleads Not Guilty, Trial Scheduled

OLLIE – Jeffrey Gautreaux, an Ollie man charged with murder, pleaded Not Guilty on March 28. Gautreaux was arrested on Feb. 1, following the discovery of burnt human remains at his home, believed to belong to Craig Smith, an Ottumwa man who went missing for several weeks after visiting Gautreaux’s residence. Gautreaux is accused of shooting Smith in the face with a shotgun, then burning his body to conceal the crime.

A pretrial conference has been scheduled for June 14, at 9:15 a.m. at the Keokuk County Courthouse in Sigourney. A jury trial has been scheduled for July 9 at 9:00 a.m. at the same courthouse.