A man who allegedly shot his wife during an argument Wednesday night has been arrested after trying to flee from law enforcement officers during a pursuit with his 6 year old child in the vehicle with him.
51 year old Ronald Jeffery Patterson is charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment (3 counts), and evading arrest. His bond is $85,000 and his court date is July 20.
Patterson’s wife was treated for gunshot wounds to the hand and hip at a Murfreesboro Hospital.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said the incident began when Patterson and his wife got into an argument while traveling in a white Isuzu Rodeo. The Patterson’s children, ages 6 and 4, were in the vehicle with them. After stopping near their home, Patterson fired shots from a .22 caliber handgun, one of which struck his wife. He then drove away with the 6 year old child. The 4 year old child was left at the home of a family member.
Patterson’s wife was taken to a Murfreesboro Hospital for treatment. The shooting was reported to Murfreesboro Police, who in turn notified DeKalb County authorities.
Sheriff Ray explained how his department learned of the shooting. “At approximately 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Central Dispatch in DeKalb County was notified by the Murfreesboro Police Department that a woman was in the hospital with a gunshot wound to the hand and hip. The victim told the Murfreesboro Police Department that a verbal argument ensued between her husband and her. They argued while driving down the road in DeKalb County and then pulled into a driveway on Patterson Road. Their two children, ages 6 and 4 were with them. Patterson pulled out a .22 caliber pistol and fired once into a field and then fired once toward the victim hitting her. Patterson then left with the 6 year old child. The 4 year old stayed at a family member’s house,” said Sheriff Ray.
“I sent a detective from here to the Murfreesboro hospital to gather evidence from the victim and to take a statement from her,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Ray along with deputies and detectives from the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department went to Patterson’s home on Patterson Road but discovered he was not there. While conducting interviews with other family members, they saw him drive by and then got in pursuit.
“We saw a vehicle drive by that matched the description of Patterson’s vehicle. The vehicle drove past Patterson’s driveway and pulled into another driveway that leads back to his residence. Detectives tried to initiate a traffic stop by turning on their blue lights but the vehicle did not stop. He (Patterson) drove behind his residence to a wooded area and into three bean fields. Although Patterson tried to get us stuck in the fields to keep us from catching him, we were able to stay with him in pursuit for about eight minutes until he drove back out through a bean field near Patterson Road, where he stopped. Patterson got out of his vehicle and was taken into custody without further incident. The 6 year old child, who was with Patterson during the pursuit, was not hurt,” said Sheriff Ray.
Archived News & Obituaries