Well a District Attorney really. Will be interesting to see where this story goes. I believe DA's in Tn are considered LEO. DeKalb county DA might want to freshen up on Tennessee vs Garner and point shooting.
The district attorney for Van Buren and Warren counties in Middle Tennessee has been indicted, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday afternoon.
A DeKalb County grand jury on Monday indicted 31st Judicial District Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford on one count of reckless endangerment, according to the TBI. An employee at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office who answered the phone Monday afternoon confirmed the charge against Stanford and said it is a felony.
Stanford is accused of firing his weapon while trying to apprehend a man accused of triple homicide in Warren County, according to information from authorities.
The indictment, obtained by The Tennessean on Tuesday, states that Stanford "unlawfully, intentionally and recklessly" fired a handgun on Bell Street in Smithville, about 60 miles east of Nashville, on Nov. 21, 2024. A bullet shot through the wall of a home a woman and her three children were in, according to the indictment, but no one was injured.
The TBI said Stanford was in pursuit of a wanted fugitive when he fired his weapon. But the indictment states that there was "no immediate threat" to Stanford or others. The indictment further adds that Stanford "was not aiming the handgun, that he did not make use of the gun's sights but just held it out and shot."
Bryant Dunaway, the district attorney general for DeKalb County, said in a social media post that Stanford was after Caleb Brookins, who was wanted on arrest warrants in Warren County. After Brookins was apprehended, he and another suspect were booked into jail and charged with three counts of criminal homicide, according to a post from the Warren County Sheriff's Department.
The night of the shooting, Dunaway contacted TBI to investigate.
Stanford surrendered to authorities and was booked at the DeKalb County Jail at 12:29 p.m. Monday and was released at 12:52 p.m. after posting $10,000 for bail, the sheriff’s office employee said.
The 31st Judicial District Attorney General’s Office did not comment when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
Stanford has been district attorney for the 31st Judicial District, which prosecutes criminal cases in Van Buren and Warren counties, since 2022. He spent 15 years as a trial attorney and small business owner before that, according to his office’s website.
Stanford's first court hearing is 9 a.m. Jan. 7 in DeKalb County, the sheriff's office employee said Monday.
The district attorney for Van Buren and Warren counties in Middle Tennessee has been indicted, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Monday afternoon.
A DeKalb County grand jury on Monday indicted 31st Judicial District Attorney General Christopher Robert Stanford on one count of reckless endangerment, according to the TBI. An employee at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office who answered the phone Monday afternoon confirmed the charge against Stanford and said it is a felony.
Stanford is accused of firing his weapon while trying to apprehend a man accused of triple homicide in Warren County, according to information from authorities.
The indictment, obtained by The Tennessean on Tuesday, states that Stanford "unlawfully, intentionally and recklessly" fired a handgun on Bell Street in Smithville, about 60 miles east of Nashville, on Nov. 21, 2024. A bullet shot through the wall of a home a woman and her three children were in, according to the indictment, but no one was injured.
The TBI said Stanford was in pursuit of a wanted fugitive when he fired his weapon. But the indictment states that there was "no immediate threat" to Stanford or others. The indictment further adds that Stanford "was not aiming the handgun, that he did not make use of the gun's sights but just held it out and shot."
Bryant Dunaway, the district attorney general for DeKalb County, said in a social media post that Stanford was after Caleb Brookins, who was wanted on arrest warrants in Warren County. After Brookins was apprehended, he and another suspect were booked into jail and charged with three counts of criminal homicide, according to a post from the Warren County Sheriff's Department.
The night of the shooting, Dunaway contacted TBI to investigate.
Stanford surrendered to authorities and was booked at the DeKalb County Jail at 12:29 p.m. Monday and was released at 12:52 p.m. after posting $10,000 for bail, the sheriff’s office employee said.
The 31st Judicial District Attorney General’s Office did not comment when reached by phone Monday afternoon.
Stanford has been district attorney for the 31st Judicial District, which prosecutes criminal cases in Van Buren and Warren counties, since 2022. He spent 15 years as a trial attorney and small business owner before that, according to his office’s website.
Stanford's first court hearing is 9 a.m. Jan. 7 in DeKalb County, the sheriff's office employee said Monday.
Middle Tennessee DA accused of shooting home occupied by a family while chasing fugitive
According to the TBI, District Attorney General Chris Stanford was in pursuit of a wanted fugitive when he fired his weapon, striking a home.
www.tennessean.com
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