State of Tennessee v. Rodney Welch
W2004-00789-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. C. McLin
Trial Court Judge: Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood

The defendant, Rodney Welch, pled guilty to unlawful possession of .5 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to sell, a Class B felony, and was sentenced to eight (8) years, as a Range I standard offender, with six (6) months to be served in confinement and the balance to be served in the Community Corrections Program. The trial court subsequently revoked the defendant’s community corrections sentence and re-sentenced the defendant to eleven (11) years in the Tennessee Department of Correction.  On appeal, the defendant challenges the trial court’s revocation of his community corrections sentence and re-sentence of eleven (11) years in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Upon review, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Gibson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Kelsey Darwin Treece
W2004-01131-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge J. C. McLin
Trial Court Judge: Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood

Following a jury trial, the defendant, Kelsey Darwin Treece, was convicted of one count of delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance (hydromorphone) and was sentenced to serve fifty months as a Range I offender in the Department of Correction. On appeal, the defendant argues that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction. Upon review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

McNairy Court of Criminal Appeals

Derrick McClure v. State of Tennessee
W2004-00519-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge J. C. McLin
Trial Court Judge: Judge John P. Colton, Jr.

The petitioner, Derrick McClure, appeals from the post-conviction court’s dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. He contends that the post-conviction court erred in concluding that his petition was untimely filed without conducting an evidentiary hearing to determine whether due process considerations tolled the statute of limitations. On appeal, we reverse the decision of the post-conviction court and remand the case for an evidentiary hearing consistent with this opinion.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

Jerry D. Carney v. State of Tennessee
M2002-02416-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge Cheryl A. Blackburn

On November 19, 1998, the petitioner was convicted by a jury of first degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. The petitioner appealed to this Court, and we affirmed the judgment of the trial court. State v. Jerry D. Carney, M1999-01139-CCA-R3-CD, 2000 WL 1335770, at *1-2 (Tenn. Crim. App. at Nashville, Sept. 15, 2000) perm. to appeal denied (Tenn. 2001). The petitioner then filed a petition for post-conviction relief. The post-conviction court denied this petition. The petitioner appeals the post-conviction court’s decision. We affirm the decision of the post-conviction court.

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

Conchita Darlene Walker Bowling (Willard) v. Darry Ray Bowling
E2004-01219-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge Herschel P. Franks
Trial Court Judge: Judge William R. Brewer

In this post-divorce action, the father appeals from the Trial Court's Order requiring the father to reimburse one-half of the college expenses paid by the mother, pursuant to an agreement in MDA signed by the parties. The Trial Court also ordered the father to pay the mother's attorney's fees, and held the father in contempt. On appeal, we affirm the Judgment against the father for one-half of the college expenses, but reverse the finding of contempt and the Order for attorney's fees.

Blount Court of Appeals

Shawn Runions v. Bill Emerson, et al.
W2004-01618-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge W. Frank Crawford
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor George R. Ellis

Tenured elementary school teacher appeals her termination for alleged incompetence, inefficiency, insubordination, neglect of duty, and compromising the integrity of the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) test. The Chancery Court reversed the termination, finding that the school board’s decision to terminate teacher was arbitrary and capricious and based on no material evidence. Concluding that the Chancery Court did not err in reversing the termination, we affirm the judgment of the chancery court.

Crockett Court of Appeals

Mattie P. Patterson, Surviving Spouse of Larry Patterson, Deceased v. Muhammad Arif
W2004-01837-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Judge David R. Farmer
Trial Court Judge: Judge James F. Russell

The trial court awarded summary judgment to Defendant physician and dismissed Plaintiff’s action upon finding it was one for medical malpractice and that Plaintiff had failed to offer competent expert proof of negligence as required by Tennessee Code Annotated § 29-26-115. Plaintiff appeals, asserting the trial court erred in determining the action was not one for ordinary negligence and that the alleged negligence of Defendant was not within the common knowledge exception. We affirm.

Shelby Court of Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Preston Williams
W2004-00072-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge James Curwood Witt, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett

Preston Williams pleaded guilty to six crimes, for which he was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender and received an effective eight-year sentence. Aggrieved of the trial court’s refusal to suspend his sentence, the defendant now appeals his sentence. After a thorough review of the record and applicable law, we affirm the decision of the lower court.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

Otis Lawrence Stitt, III v. Toi Latise Stitt
M2002-02649-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge William C. Koch, Jr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge Muriel Robinson

This appeal involves a dispute over a periodic long-term spousal support award. Following a twelve-year marriage, both parties requested a divorce from the Circuit Court for Davidson County. The trial court conducted a bench trial and declared the parties divorced. The court also ordered the husband to pay the wife $350 per month in spousal support until her death or remarriage. The husband takes issue on this appeal with the spousal support award. We have determined that the wife is not entitled to long-term spousal support but is entitled to $350 per month in transitional support for three years.

Davidson Court of Appeals

State of Tennessee v. James Gary Turner
M2003-03002-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Lee Russell

The defendant, James Gary Turner, was indicted for reckless endangerment, felony evading arrest with risk of death or injury, and driving on a revoked license, fourth offense. The State subsequently dismissed the reckless endangerment charge, and the defendant pled guilty to driving on a revoked license, fourth offense, a Class A misdemeanor, and was convicted by a Bedford County Circuit Court jury of felony evading arrest with risk of death or injury, a Class D felony. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, the trial court sentenced the defendant as a Range II, multiple offender to concurrent terms of eight years for the felony evading arrest conviction and one year for the driving on a revoked license conviction, to be served consecutively to his federal sentence for a prior conviction. On appeal, the defendant argues that the evidence is insufficient to sustain his Class D felony evading arrest conviction; the trial court erred in sentencing him to one year for the misdemeanor conviction; and the trial court imposed an excessive sentence for the felony evading arrest conviction. Following our review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Bedford Court of Criminal Appeals

William T. Yelton v. State of Tennessee
E2004-00383-CCA-R3-HC
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge E. Eugene Eblen

In 1992, the petitioner, William T. Yelton, was found guilty by a jury of theft of property, two counts of coercion of a witness, fabricating evidence and harassment. As a result, he was sentenced to an effective twenty-one-year sentence. After his convictions in Tennessee, the petitioner was sent to Alabama presumably to serve time on a life sentence from which he had previously been paroled in that state. Six years later, the petitioner was returned to prison in Tennessee. In 2001, he filed a pro se petition for habeas corpus relief alleging that he was unlawfully detained on an expired/pardoned sentence. The petitioner filed a second petition in January of 2004. The trial court denied the second petition after an evidentiary hearing. On appeal, the petitioner challenges the trial court's denial of the petition for habeas corpus relief.

Morgan Court of Criminal Appeals

Darvell S. Owens v. State of Tennessee
W2004-01176-CCA-R3-HC
Authoring Judge: Judge John Everett Williams
Trial Court Judge: Judge Joseph B. Dailey

The Petitioner, Darvell S. Owens, appeals the trial court's denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the trial court's denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. Because Petitioner has failed to satisfy the procedural requirements of the habeas corpus statutes, we grant the State's motion and affirm the judgment of the lower court.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

Michael K. Kennedy v. State of Tennessee
W2004-00178-CCA-R3-HC
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Roy B. Morgan, Jr.

The Petitioner, Michael K. Kennedy, appeals the trial court's denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the trial court's denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. It appears from the record before us that the notice of appeal was not timely filed and this Court cannot conclude that justice requires that this Court waive the timely filing requirement. Accordingly, the State’s motion is granted and the above-captioned appeal is dismissed.

Chester Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Robert Sanford Barnes
W2003-02967-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Robert W. Wedemeyer
Trial Court Judge: Judge Joseph H. Walker, III

A Lauderdale County jury convicted the Defendant, Robert Sanford Barnes, of reckless endangerment, attempted rape, robbery, aggravated burglary, and assault. The trial court sentenced the Defendant, as a career offender, to an effective sentence of forty-five years for the felony convictions, plus consecutive sentences of eleven months and twenty-nine days for each of the two misdemeanor convictions. On appeal, the Defendant contends that: (1) the evidence is insufficient to sustain any of his five convictions; (2) the trial court improperly classified the Defendant as a career offender; and (3) the trial court erred when it ordered that the Defendant’s sentences run consecutively. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

Lauderdale Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Lemar J. White
W2004-00276-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Judge Carolyn Wade Blackett

The Appellant, Lemar J. White, was convicted by a Shelby County jury of first degree premeditated murder and sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. On appeal, White raises the single issue of sufficiency of the evidence. Specifically, he challenges the proof with regard to the element of premeditation. After review of the record, we find the evidence sufficient to support the verdict and affirm the judgment of conviction.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

Willie Claybrook v. State of Tennessee
W2003-02462-CCA-R3-HC
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Judge Clayburn L. Peeples

The Petitioner, Willie Claybrook, appeals the trial court's denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief. The State has filed a motion requesting that this Court affirm the trial court's denial of relief pursuant to Rule 20, Rules of the Court of Criminal Appeals. The Petitioner has not responded to the State’s motion. It appears from the record before us that the notice of appeal was not timely filed and this Court cannot conclude that justice requires that this Court waive the timely filing requirement. Accordingly, the State’s motion is granted and the above-captioned appeal is dismissed.

Gibson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Timothy Maurice Reynolds
M2003-02551-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Jim T. Hamilton

The defendant was convicted of aggravated robbery, a Class B felony, and sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to eight years in the Tennessee Department of Correction ("TDOC"). On appeal, he asserts the trial court should have given him pretrial jail credit for time served in federal prison on an unrelated federal conviction. Following our review, we affirm the sentence but remand for entry of a corrected judgment.

Giles Court of Criminal Appeals

In Re: R.D.F. and D.L.F.
M2003-02798-COA-R3-JV
Authoring Judge: Judge William H. Inman, Sr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge Donna A. Scott

The attorney for the petitioner was held in contempt for failing to appear as ordered and failing to advise the Juvenile Court of a Chancery action. We hold the evidence does not support a finding of criminal contempt.

Rutherford Court of Appeals

Darrell Jones, Jr. v. State of Tennessee
E2004-00835-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge David G. Hayes
Trial Court Judge: Judge Stephen M. Bevil

The Appellant, Darrell Jones, Jr., appeals the Hamilton County Criminal Court's dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. Jones was indicted for first degree murder; however, the plea agreement permitted Jones to enter a guilty plea to the reduced charge of second degree murder. As part of the agreement, he accepted a forty-five year sentence as a Range III offender despite only meeting the statutory criteria for a Range I offender. On appeal, Jones raises the issue of whether trial counsel was ineffective for failing to inform Jones of the ramifications of pleading outside his range. Following review of the record, we affirm the dismissal of the petition.

Hamilton Court of Criminal Appeals

Tammy Searle (f/k/a Tammy Moretti) v. Juvenile Court for Williamson County
M2004-00331-COA-R3-HC
Authoring Judge: Judge William H. Inman, Sr.
Trial Court Judge: Judge Timothy L. Easter

The petitioner was convicted of criminal contempt of the Juvenile Court of Williamson County, and sentenced to 590 days for 59 comtempts. She fled the State and apparently is a resident of California. A direct appeal was rejected because of her fugitive status. She now seeks a Writ of Habeas Corpus, on the theory that the conviction and sentence are void. She remains a fugitive and the court dismisses her petition on appeal.

Williamson Court of Appeals

Kevin Allen Kyle v. Mary Lou Climer Kyle
W2004-01221-COA-R3-CV
Authoring Judge: Presiding Judge W. Frank Crawford
Trial Court Judge: Chancellor Ron E. Harmon

Wife appeals from trial court’s division of marital property and award of alimony in divorce proceeding. Wife contends the trial court made numerous errors in the classification and division of various assets and in the alimony award. Husband contends that the trial court did not err in its
division of marital property, contends that Wife can be rehabilitated, and seeks an award of rehabilitative alimony to terminate at a specific date. Husband further contends that trial court erred in awarding attorney’s fees to Wife, and Husband seeks attorney’s fees and costs related to defending
this appeal. We affirm in part, reverse in part, modify in part and remand.

Henderson Court of Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Jessica Trotter-Lawson and Andrew Sheriff
W2004-00656-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Jerry L. Smith
Trial Court Judge: Judge Arthur T. Bennett

The appellants, Jessica Trotter-Lawson and Andrew Sheriff, pled guilty to theft of property over sixty thousand dollars. As a result of the plea agreement, each appellant received an eight-year sentence. Both appellants applied to the trial court for alternative sentencing. After an evidentiary hearing, the trial court denied alternative sentencing and ordered the appellants to serve the entire sentence in incarceration. Both appellants filed timely notices of appeal, challenging the trial court’s denial of alternative sentencing. After a review, we determine that a sentence of split confinement would best serve the interests of the public and the appellants. Accordingly, the judgments of the trial court are reversed and remanded for entry of sentences of split confinement reflecting a period of twelve months of incarceration in the Shelby County Correctional Facility with the remainder of the eight-year sentence to be served on supervised probation.

Shelby Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. David Sever Watkins
M2003-01488-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Alan E. Glenn
Trial Court Judge: Judge Leon C. Burns, Jr.

The defendant, David Sever Watkins 1, was convicted by a White County jury of sale of .5 grams or more of a Schedule II controlled substance, cocaine, and was sentenced as a Range I, standard offender to ten years in the Department of Correction. On appeal, he asserts: (1) the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction; and (2) the trial court erred in imposing a ten-year sentence. Following our review, we affirm the conviction and the sentence.

White Court of Criminal Appeals

Vinson D. Mason v. State of Tennessee
M2004-00084-CCA-R3-PC
Authoring Judge: Judge Norma McGee Ogle
Trial Court Judge: Judge Steve R. Dozier

The petitioner, Vinson D. Mason, pled guilty in the Davidson County Criminal Court to second degree murder and received a sentence of eighteen years incarceration in the Tennessee Department of Correction. Subsequently, the petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel. The post-conviction court denied the petition, and the petitioner now appeals. Upon our review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction court.

Davidson Court of Criminal Appeals

State of Tennessee v. Colia Louis Streeter
M2004-00543-CCA-R3-CD
Authoring Judge: Judge Thomas T. Woodall
Trial Court Judge: Judge W. Charles Lee

Following a jury trial, Defendant, Colia Louis Streeter, was convicted of one count of the sale of 0.5 grams or more of cocaine, a Class B felony, and one count of delivery of 0.5 grams or more of cocaine, a Class B felony. The trial court merged Defendant's conviction in count two into his conviction in count one, and sentenced Defendant to twelve years as a Range I, standard offender. In his sole issue on appeal, Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction, and that, at most, the transaction constituted a casual exchange of cocaine rather than an unlawful sale. After a thorough review of the record, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.

Bedford Court of Criminal Appeals