A Dresden man charged with assaulting and kidnapping his girlfriend appeared in court for his bond hearing Wednesday, October 1.

    After hearing the facts of the case, Weakley County General Sessions Judge Tommy Moore set bond at $150,000 for Phillip M. Hutcherson, 35, of 483 East Main Street, Dresden, who is charged with aggravated domestic assault and especially aggravated kidnapping. Moore cited the seriousness of the crime, the defendant being a flight risk, and his instability as factors in determining the amount of the bond.

    Hutcherson allegedly beat his 21-year-old girlfriend, Whitney Bowls, Tuesday, September 23, and held her against her will for several hours before allowing her to seek medical attention, after Bowls told Hutcherson she wanted to leave him and get on with her life.

    Once Weakley County EMS and Dresden police were called to the scene, the victim was airlifted to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis for further medical treatment. While at the Med, Bowls underwent surgery to repair a fractured eye socket. The victim was also treated for a lacerated liver, brain contusion, and multiple bruises to her body.

    Hutcherson’s alleged attempt to stage a step ladder accident to make it appear Bowls’ injuries were due to a fall, failed when doctors examining the victim at the Med determined her injuries were inconsistent with falling off a ladder, but were consistent with being beaten.

    Photos were taken of Bowls’ injuries. She also gave a statement to Sgt. Tonya Warren of the Dresden Police Department, which was recorded on audio.

    Bowls has since been released from the hospital.

    Judge Moore, who recused himself from the case, citing his personal relationship with the Hutcherson family, stated another judge will be appointed to conduct the preliminary hearing, which he tentatively set for Wednesday, October 22, pending a new judge’s schedule.

    Since Weakley County District Attorney Tommy Thomas also recused himself from prosecuting the case, retired Carroll County District Attorney Guss Radford has been selected to serve as prosecutor.

(Read the rest of this story in the October 8th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

   One of the top items for discussion during last Thursday’s regular monthly meeting of the Weakley County School Board held at Dresden High School was the use of defibrillators in the various schools across the county. Other important business considered by board members included: an update on the Bill and Carol Latimer Charitable Foundation College Opportunity Fund, an electronic media use policy, an ethics policy, adding a second shift for maintenance employees, a report on the school system’s compliance with Tennessee statutes and the State Board of Education, and assorted field trips.

Defibrillators

   Martin Kiwanis’s Club member Misty Menees, district lieutenant governor of the organization, addressed the board concerning the installation of defibrillators in Weakley County Schools. She began by reading national headlines of students dying during school activities that might have been saved had the schools had a defibrillator. She also read an account in which a defibrillator was credited with saving a student’s life.

    Menees said the Martin Kiwanis’s Club and other Kiwanis’s Clubs throughout Louisiana, Mississippi and West Tennessee are hoping to be “proactive in preventing students’ deaths due to cardiac arrest.”

    She stated the Kiwanis’s Club wants to purchase these life-saving devices and place them in all schools in Weakley County, and therefore, the club has adopted this as their project for the next five to 10 years.

    “So far, we have purchased units for Martin Elementary, Martin Middle School, and Westview High School. We have funding to purchase one at Martin Primary; and we have received a donation to purchase one for Sharon School. Our longtime goal is to put one in Dresden Elementary, Dresden Middle, Dresden High School, Gleason School and Greenfield School.

    “We are raising part of the money own our own,” Menees said. She added her organization is also looking to build partnerships with businesses and others to donate to project.

    Menees stated each unit costs $1,500, which is far less than the regular price of approximately $1,800, due to the Kiwanis’s Club agreeing to purchase several of the devices in a package deal. The $1,500 cost also includes the cost of the cabinet, which normally costs extra.

    Martin Fire Department Lieutenant Jamie Summers, who has been instrumental in installing the defibrillators and providing training to school staff members, brought a defibrillator unit, as well as a training simulator to demonstrate just how easy the devices are to use.

Summers stated the State Legislature passed legislation promoting the installation of defibrillators in all schools.

    “It’s not only for children,” Summers said, explaining they could also be used to save members of the school staff or parents visiting the schools during athletic or other activities. “These are going to be placed in schools at strategic places, such as in the gym area for basketball games and things like that, so that if a parent or someone visiting the school experienced sudden cardiac arrest, then these devices could be used. This device falls under the public access AED Program. Anyone trained in AED and CPR can use this device.”

    Summers stated primary response teams must be identified at each school where the device is available. He noted the devices must be checked monthly to make sure they are operating properly. He stated that in Martin, the Martin Fire Department has taken on this responsibility.

(Read the rest of this story in the October 8th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)

    One of two defendants charged in connection with child abuse on July 28, 2007, pled guilty last week and the other defendant is scheduled to appear in court later this week.

    On Thursday, September 25, 2008, Tiffani Callahan, 25, pleaded guilty in Weakley County Circuit Court to a charge of aggravated assault.

    Callahan and her husband, 21-year-old Wesley Griffin, both of Martin, are charged with last year’s beating of Griffin’s two-year-old son, Austin Cash.

    Judge Bill Acree set Callahan’s sentencing date for Tuesday, November 18.

    Judge Acree is giving Griffin until his court appearance on Thursday, October 9, to enter a plea. If Griffin does so, Acree will sentence the couple at the same time. However, if Griffin chooses not to enter a guilty plea, his trial date will be set. In the meantime, Callahan is free on a $50,000 bond, while Griffin remains free on a signature bond.

    The case first came to light during the evening of July 28, 2007, when Martin Police Department officers were dispatched to Volunteer Community Hospital in Martin to investigate the circumstances involving a child that had a serious head injury. When Investigator James Hatler arrived, he saw that the then 19-month-old boy had bruises and cuts on his head and arms, and severe head trauma.

    Due to the extent of the victim’s injuries, the child was airlifted to Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis where he remained two months for treatment of critical injuries that included skull fractures and brain swelling.

(Read the rest of this story in the October 8th print edition of the Dresden Enterprise.)