An apparent dispute near McKenzie Friday morning led to one man being wounded by gunfire and another injured after being dragged alongside a moving vehicle, according to Sergeant Andy Dickson of the Carroll County Sheriff's Department.

Of the six present during the altercation, four have been charged.

"Some are victims and defendants as well," said Dickson.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. outside a home at 3235 Highway 423 about three miles southeast of McKenzie, just past Shiloh Church.

Billy McDaniel, 20, of Union City drove up to the house in a white pickup truck belonging to Chad Davis, 20, of Union City, who was a front seat passenger sitting next to the door. Other passengers in the truck were Brad McAlexander, 26, of Cedar Grove and Katrina Scott, 19, of Gleason.

Christopher Vernum, 26, and Dale Aeshbacher, 23, who both lived at the house, were waiting in the yard when the four arrived at the address.

"Katrina Scott and Aeshbacher's ex-girlfriend were apparently friends and name-calling began after a break-up," said Dickson. "The four in the vehicle had an argument going with Aeshbacher and had apparently been threatening him with phone calls."

According to Dickson, Vernum reportedly approached the vehicle and hit Davis. Davis then grabbed Vernum's arm. As the exchange occurred, McDaniel drove away at speeds estimated to reach 40-50 m.p.h. with Vernum being dragged alongside the vehicle before eventually falling away from the truck.

At some point in the altercation, Aeshbacher fired warning shots, two of which penetrated the vehicle, said Dickson. One shot passed through the cab of the truck and struck McDaniel in the back, with the bullet exiting his side.

Dickson said he was not sure if the shooting occurred before or after the dragging incident.

Aeshbacher called authorities at 2:30 a.m. to report that his friend had been dragged down the road, according to Dickson.

Both McDaniel and Vernum were taken by their companions to McKenzie Regional Hospital for medical treatment. McKenzie Police officers arrived at the hospital to help control the situation prior to the arrival of CCSO officers, who were assisting with a traffic accident when the initial call came in.

Assisting Dickson in the investigation of the shooting/dragging incident were CCSO Deputies Josh Wade, Christopher Byrd and Investigator David Bunn.

McDaniel was airlifted to an area hospital. No further information was available on his condition.

Vernum was examined for abrasions and possible internal injuries. No further information was available on his condition.

The following charges have been filed in the case: Dale Aeshbacher is charged with four counts of aggravated assault for firing his weapon into a vehicle occupied by four people; Billy McDaniel, driver of the truck, is charged with aggravated assault; Chad Davis is charged with aggravated assault for holding Vernum while the vehicle was moving; Christopher Vernum, the dragging victim, is charged with simple assault for hitting Davis initially.

 

MCKENZIE (October 3) - On a unanimous vote during its regular meeting on Tuesday, October 3, the McKenzie Special School District Board of Education decided to hear proposals from area architectural firms concerning possible renovations to Rebel Field.

"We're not saying it's gonna be done; we're not making a move on it tonight," Superintendent Jim Ward said. "We're just discussing the possibilities."

Several concerns about the stadium were raised. According to Ward and McKenzie High School Principal Terry Howell, the visitor's side bleachers have deteriorated and need to be repaired, the visitor's side field house is in poor condition, and the wiring in the home side concession stand is worrisome.

Howell reported that cement blocks in the bleachers are crumbling and added that the field house roof is leaking as well. "I've had to chase bats out of there when I close up," he said.

Describing the bleachers, Ward said, "They haven't been condemned," but Howell added, "They're in pretty bad shape. I hold my breath every game that someone isn't going to fall."

Howell also said the wiring in the concession stand was older and breakers were tripped often. "The band boosters run it, and they go home worrying if their meat will be ruined because the electricity has gone out," Howell told the board.

Ward informed the board that he had spoken with a few architectural firms interested in the project. "They're willing to meet with you to see what can be done," he said.

Two firms confirmed for the proposal meeting are: Hart, Freeland, & Roberts of Jackson and Catz, Brinkley, Jones, & Morris of Nashville. The latter firm was responsible for building the high school building ten years ago and was also involved in school construction projects in Paris and Huntingdon.

Prior to the vote, the board discussed several possibilities for the stadium, from basic renovations to a complete rebuilding of the visitor's side.

The possibility of building an all-new stadium at the current high school location on Highway 22 is "nonexistent," according to Ward.

According to Howell, a new stadium was not built at the same time as the current high school (which was constructed in 1996-97) due to negative public response. Had a stadium been built then, it would have cost approximately $1.5 million, he said.

"At the time, there were a lot of people against moving the high school," he told the board. "They worried about safety on the highway and thought it would damage the 'neighborhood school' feeling."

Ward estimated current costs for an all-new stadium at $3.5 to $4 million. He noted that such a project would require considerable site preparation and dirt work in addition to a new parking lot.

"Plus, you would then have two full facilities to upkeep and do maintenance on," he said.

Switching the home side back to the visitor's side, as was the case when the stadium first opened, was also mentioned, as well as making all new structures completely handicap accessible. If the sides were swapped, a new press box would have to be built as well.

Ward said that renovations would most likely begin at approximately $170,000. "We're looking at about $110 per seat," he explained.

To fund the project, Ward said he would like to take advantage of current interest rates and take out a construction loan for a three-year period, which would be paid back from growth and fund balances and extra revenue.

"I would also like to get civic groups involved," Ward said, but emphasized that he would never present a proposal solely dependent on such funding.

"To be honest, I'm very uncomfortable spending this much money on a football stadium," Board member Karen McCaleb said, but agreed that something needed to be done.

"It's becoming a liability, and we either need to tear it down or do something serious to it," Board member Jon Davis said.

The renovations would begin as soon as this year's football season ended, Ward said. "Our tentative timeline would be to finish site prep in November, December and then have construction run from January through July and have it ready to use for next year's season," he said, depending on weather conditions.

Ward said that construction on the visitor's side would begin phase two of stadium renovations, with phase one consisting of lighting and bathroom upgrades in 2003.

Ward encourages citizens to call or e-mail him with feedback on the subject. "I would greatly appreciate their input on this," he said. He noted that he has already spoken with several faculty and staff members and heard arguments both for and against the proposed renovations.

The board will meet on Tuesday, October 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the board office, located at 114 Bell Avenue in McKenzie, to hear proposals from the firms. Each firm will have approximately one hour to present their ideas to the board, Ward said.

The meeting is open to the public, but public comments will not be heard at this time. "We can garner public response at a later meeting if we decide to take this further," Davis said.

To contact Ward, e-mail him at wardj9@k12tn.net or call him at 352-2246.

  
HUNTINGDON - For the fourth time since the year 2000, the questions of whether or not to permit the sale of retail package liquor in the town of Bruceton will be on the November ballot.

The measure has been defeated in three previous referendums.

In 2000, the vote was 270 to 303, in 2002 - 237 to 289, and in 2004 - 287 to 339.

Mayor Robert Keeton, III has indicated the sale of package liquor would eliminate much of the property tax within the city.

In August, the city board increased the property tax from the existing $1.39 to a new rate of $1.89 per $100 assessed value, an increase of 35 percent.

Early voting takes place from Wednesday, October 18 through Thursday, November 2 and election day is Tuesday, November 7.
 

  

Lt. Steve Russell has been assigned Tennessee Highway Patrol Commander of Carroll and Henry counties.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Lt. Steve Russell of McKenzie has assumed the position of commander over Troop C, which patrols Carroll and Henry Counties. As commander, Russell will oversee the day-to-day operations of 12 troopers.

Lt. Russell, who has served as lieutenant over Gibson and Weakley Counties' Troop B since 1999, is filling the former position of Robert Earl Melton, who was promoted in August from lieutenant to district captain over the 86 troopers serving in West Tennessee District 8.

"I am proud to be back home with all my friends in law enforcement and serve the people of Carroll and Henry counties," said Russell, who brings 27 years of law enforcement experience to the job.

He is a 1978 graduate of McKenzie High School and began his career in law enforcement in 1979 as a Henry County sheriff's deputy. He was serving in that capacity in 1981 when he stopped to assist what he thought was a stranded motorist. As it turns out, the occupant had just burglarized a house and fired a shot at Russell, striking him in the face. After several months of recovery, the officer returned to duty with the Henry County Sheriff's Department and continued working until 1983.

He was selected as Outstanding Young Law Enforcement Officer of the Year in 1982 by the Henry County Jaycees.

He joined the THP in July, 1983, and spent one year working Montgomery County. In 1984, he transferred to Carroll County, where he worked as a trooper for the next six years.

In 1989, Russell became a criminal investigator with the THP's Criminal Investigations Division and graduated from the 162nd session of the FBI National Academy in 1990 and then earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice with a minor in aviation from the University of Tennessee at Martin in 1992. He achieved the rank of sergeant and field supervisor in June 1996. In 1999, he was promoted to lieutenant over Troop B.

Throughout his career, Russell has completed numerous specialized training courses and attended many conferences concerning various aspects of law enforcement, including criminal investigation, narcotics and dangerous drugs, basic tactical training, hostage negotiation, traffic radar, identification photography, death investigation, homicide and crime scene investigation, custom services, white collar crime, auto theft, casualty identification, tire footprint identification, and emergency medical care.

He is also an experienced commercial pilot with more than 2,500 hours of flight time.

Lt. Russell and his wife, Cherry, are the parents of 16-year-old Travis, who is a junior at MHS, and 19-year-old Lee, who is a sophomore at UT Martin.