New Appellate Court case

Today the Court of Criminal Appeals issued it's decision in State v Rollins, a Knoxville case of aggravated robbery, evading and DUI. The defendant held up a young woman at a tanning salon with a knife. The KPD responded quickly and got out a BOLO (Be on the lookout for) alert for the defendant's pick up truck. Another officer saw a matching truck make an improper turn and weave on the highway. He tried to stop the truck. Defendant kept going, pulled off and ran to the woods. He was finally apprehended with the help of a dog, who left marks that required some medical attention.

A DUI prosecutor reading the opinion may wonder how we got a DUI conviction. There was bad driving, an odor, a vodka bottle and beer can in the truck and a bitten suspect who staggered a bit going from the woods to the police car in handcuffs.

Of course, the DUI was the least of this defendant's problems and was not hotly contested. I just hope the officers and supervisors involved in this case don't think that all DUI's are this easy.

Congratulations to all the officers involved in the speedy apprehension of this criminal and to ADA Phil Morton for outstanding work at Trial and to Assistant Attorney General Rene Turner for outstanding work in the Appellate Court.

Read the opinion at:
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TCCA/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Cory%20Shane%20Rollins.pdf

This week in the Court of Criminal Appeals

This Week in the Court of Criminal Appeals


January 19, 2010



Trial Conviction Affirmed      Prosecutor                     Top Charge

State v Young                       Beth Boswell-Hall         Rape of child

http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TCCA/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Stephen%20Louis%20Young.pdf


State v Sweat                        Phil Morton                  Agg Robbery

http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TCCA/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Michael%20D%20Sweat.pdf


State v Riley                         TaKisha Fitzgerald         Especially Agg Kidnapping

http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/A01/State%20v%20Tallie%20Riley.pdf

Appellate Court Affirmations

This Week in the Court of Criminal Appeals
December 28, 2009


Trial Conviction Prosecutor Top Charge

State v Owens Scarlette Ellis Agg Child Abuse
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/094/State%20v%20Tommy%20Joe%20Owens.pdf

DUI Suppression Denial

State v Mercer Mathew Rogers DUI
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/094/State%20v%20Bethany%20R%20Mercer.pdf

Judicial Diversion Denial

State v Siler Mike Ripley Sale of oxycodone
http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/Tcca/PDF/094/State%20v%20Jenny%20Lynn%20Siler.pdf