An alderman for the Town of Livingston who stands accused of felony aggravated assault from an incident at the Overton County Justice Center back in December of last year appeared in Overton County Criminal Court Dec. 3 to request a public defender.

David Leon Sadler, II, filled out an affidavit and told Judge Leon Burns that he needed to be appointed a public defender to represent him on criminal charges.

Judge Burns asked Sadler II several questions about his income and then denied the request, telling him to return to court Jan. 17, hopefully with an attorney.

In addition to the felony assault charge, he is also charged with one count of misdemeanor assault with bodily injury and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Two of his other relatives, his father David Leon Sadler, Sr. and Sadler II’s wife, Melody Ann Sadler, were also on the criminal court docket Tuesday. His father is charged with misdemeanor assault with bodily injury, while his wife is charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. Both were allegedly involved in the same incident as Sadler II back in December of last year. Both of their court cases were also continued to Jan. 17.

Attorney Michael Savage was previously representing all three charged in the matter.

The December 14, 2012 incident, according to arrest reports from the Overton County Sheriff’s Department, occurred at the Overton County Justice Center when an altercation broke out shortly after a court hearing.

Three people involved reportedly sustained injuries during the event, including Doc Little of Cookeville who allegedly suffered fractures to his shoulder; William J. Barnes who allegedly had multiple contusions and lacerations on his face and head; and Connie J. Oliver who reportedly suffered a sore neck from allegedly being choked and knee problems. Sadler II stands accused of allegedly inflicting injuries to Little and Barnes while Sadler Sr. is accused of allegedly injuring Oliver.

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A man formerly of Alpine charged with attempted first degree murder after allegedly shooting his financee in April appeared in Overton County Criminal Court December 3.

Donnie Wayne Simpson, approximately 40, who is being held without bond at the Overton County Jail, was charged with allegedly shooting his financee, Patti Mansell, with a .22 caliber rifle at his home on Dogwalk Road in Alpine on April 8. Mansell was reportedly treated for wounds at a hospital and later released.

Simpson appeared December 3 before Judge Leon Burns for a deadline hearing on the shooting incident.

The prosecution for the state told Judge Burns that an evaluation had found Simpson competent and sane enough to stand trial. However, Simpson’s defense attorney, Daryl Colson, has filed for a separate, independent evaluation. So with the prosecution in agreement with another assessment, Judge Burns bound the case over to Feb. 18.

Simpson faces multiple felony charges including first degree attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm with the intent to go armed, employing a firearm with the intent to go armed as well as second degree attempted murder. In addition, he is also charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) assisted the Overton County Sheriff’s Department in investigating the case. In a past article, TBI Public Information Officer Kristen Helm was quoted as describing the shooting as “a domestic incident.” Helm also said that Simpson stated the shooting was “accidental.”

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While at a local pharmacy recently, officers with the Livingston Police Department saw a Livingston man who was wanted on charges of vandalism and while serving that arrest warrant reportedly discovered possible meth and morphine on his person.

On Dec. 9, according to reports from the Livingston Police Department, Livingston Police Chief Greg Etheredge, Captain Chris Halfacre and Detective Gary Ledbetter were at R and M Pharmacy in Livingston when they noticed Greg Moss purchasing a box of Sudafed, one of the ingredients used in manufacturing methamphetamine.

Etheredge said he was aware that Moss had an outstanding warrant for vandalism on Dec. 6 of this year. He said when Moss left the pharmacy he spoke with him and made him aware of the warrant for vandalism.

Officers, according to the report, then patted Moss down for safety reasons when he reportedly tried to bolt and flee the premises. Halfacre and Etheredge then reportedly tackled Moss and placed him in handcuffs. Then Ledbetter reportedly noticed Moss had something he was trying to conceal in his pocket.

During the frisk of Moss, Etheredge said he found a clear pill container with nine bags of what appeared to be, based on his training in law enforcement, methamphetamine. In addition, he said there was another metal cylinder that contained three bags of what appeared to be meth in a single pill labeled “ABG/60.” Etheredge said he believes that pill may possibly be morphine.

After the items were recovered, Moss reportedly told officers, “I’m just trying to make a living.”

Moss was charged with promotion of methamphetamine in a drug-free school zone, possession of a Schedule II methamphetamine with intent for sale and delivery and evading arrest.

He was being held at the Overton County Justice Center on a $75,000 bond.

This is not Moss’ first run in with the law. Members of the Livingston Police SWAT team recently obtained a search warrant of his residence on Celina Street in Livingston and reportedly discovered a complete meth lab.

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(Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up to a story that appeared in an earlier edition of the Enterprise. All of the details, including the accident report, were not available at press time. This newspaper will not release the names of the juveniles involved.)

After a recent accident on Highway 111, an unlicensed 17-year-old boy faces a plethora of criminal charges and, in addition, is probably in some trouble with his grandma.

The accident occurred, according to an accident report from Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Darren Butler, during the evening hours of Saturday, November 30 when Serenna Cole, 21, of Cookeville, was traveling southbound on State Route 111 in a silver 2013 Chevrolet Sonic sedan. Another vehicle, a silver 2003 Dodge minivan, was traveling northbound on State Route 111, making a left turn to travel westbound on Tommy Dodson Highway. As the driver of the minivan attempted to cross the southbound lanes, according to the report, he struck Cole’s vehicle in the driver’s side.

The report said that the driver of the minivan stopped for a moment, but left the scene and continued traveling westbound on Tommy Dodson Highway.

“I arrived approximately 30 seconds after the crash,” Trooper Butler said. “After I called for an ambulance, I was approached by a witness. The witness stated that he knew who the driver was who left the scene.”

The witness, according to the report, told Trooper Butler that it was a juvenile and he was driving his grandmother’s silver van. He also told Butler that he knew where the driver was going and would bring him back to the scene, which he did, according to the report, approximately one hour later.

Butler said that the juvenile driver, a boy from Cookeville, said he didn’t see Cole’s vehicle as he was crossing southbound lanes. He also reportedly said that after he crashed into the car, he got scared and fled the scene. At the time of the accident, he was traveling in the van with a passenger, another juvenile, a 14-year-old boy, from Gainesboro.

Butler said the juvenile driver of the minivan did not have a driver’s license and had taken his grandmother’s van without her permission.

Cole was injured in the accident. Emergency workers had to extract her from her car. She was transported from the scene by the Overton County Ambulance Service and was later flown out to Vanderbilt Medical Center via Air Evac.

At last report, she was reportedly doing well and recovering from her injuries.

She had one person in her car at the time of the wreck, David Harris, 45, of Cookeville. He was reportedly uninjured in the wreck.

Neither of the two boys in the van were listed as injured in the report, and all parties involved were wearing seatbelts at the time of the accident, which may have helped save their lives.

Trooper Butler said after he left the crash scene he went to the residence where the van was located. He said the front of the van sustained considerable damage, but the owner, Janice Bohannon, did not have valid insurance.

The 17-year-old van driver was charged with leaving the scene of a crash, joy riding, failure to yield, duty to render aid and driving with no driver’s license.