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‘CHEATING’ SUSPICION PROMPTS SCUFFLE, ARREST

By Ray King/OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Friday, November 14, 2008 10:33 PM CST

What began as a report of an armed disturbance Thursday at a house on Wally Drive ended with the arrest of a Jefferson County woman who had reportedly broken the windows on another woman’s vehicle and threatened to kill her.

At a court hearing Friday, Circuit Judge Jodi Dennis ruled prosecutors had probable cause to charge Karen Tackett, 35, with aggravated assault, criminal mischief, terroristic threatening, and third-degree battery, and set a $5,000 bond for Tackett.

Reading from an affidavit from sheriff’s Sgt. Larry Gragg, Deputy Prosecutor Cymber Gieringer said the incident began when Deputy Randy Jackson was sent to the house to take a report from the resident, Nancy Beth Meeks.

Meeks told the deputy that she had been in the county detention center for 31 days and when she got out, learned that her boyfriend, Jonathan Starks, “had cheated on her with Tackett,” Gieringer quoted the affidavit as saying.

“She said Tackett had called her and threatened to kill her if she didn’t let the boyfriend come back to her, and while she didn’t think Tackett would come to the residence,” wanted a report of the file, Gieringer said.

At approximately 10 p.m., Jackson was sent back to the house on a reported armed disturbance. When he arrived, he saw Tackett running with what appeared to be a shotgun, Gragg reported in the affidavit.

The deputy ordered Tackett to drop the shotgun, which turned out to be a toy, then spoke to the boyfriend, Gieringer said.

“He said Tackett had showed up at the house in a vehicle, and blew the horn before leaving,” Gieringer said. “He said Tackett left, then returned, and they called 9-1-1 before going outside, where they saw Tackett swing an object and break a window on Meeks’ vehicle and saw her holding what looked like a rifle.”

Starks also reported that Tackett had struck him on the left side of the face with the gun, and deputies reported seeing a red mark on Starks’ face, Gieringer said.

“While this was going on, Meeks reportedly got a stick and broke a window on Tackett’s vehicle, then [Tackett] got in her car and drove toward Meeks, chasing her across the yard,” Gieringer quoted the affidavit as saying.

She said Jackson reported an odor of intoxicants when he approached Tackett and she reportedly admitted drinking liquor and beer before going to the house, adding that Tackett refused to take a series of field sobriety tests and a breath alcohol test.

“It’s my understanding that other charges like DWI are being handled in district court,” Gieringer told Dennis.

Questioned by the judge as to whether or not Meeks was also arrested, Gieringer said the report didn’t indicate that, but believed the damage to Tackett’s vehicle would probably be a misdemeanor, which would be handled in district court.

In addition to setting the bond, Dennis, who was sitting in for Circuit Judge Rob Wyatt Jr., ordered Tackett to have no contact with Meeks or Starks until the case is settled.

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