Dowelltown Man Charged with Child Abuse

A Dowelltown man has been charged with child abuse for allegedly smacking and leaving a bruise on a four year old youngster.
27 year old Barrett Clay Tipton of Circle Drive, Dowelltown is under a $10,000 bond and he will make a court appearance on May 5.
Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on Saturday, April 16 Tipton allegedly inflicted injury on a four year old at his residence on Circle Drive by smacking the child in the face with enough force to knock the youngster to the ground. A few days later during an interview, officials of the Department of Children Services noticed bruising on the left side of the child’s face. When they asked the youngster what happened to cause the bruising, the four year old said Barrett did it. The alleged assault was also captured on video.
34 year old Willie Ray Murphy of West Bryant Street, Smithville is charged with resisting stop, frisk, halt, arrest or search. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, April 2 a deputy went to Walmart to arrest Murphy on a Smith County warrant for violation of probation. As the officer placed Murphy under arrest, he tensed and tried to pull away from the deputy. He was taken into custody and transported to the jail.
21 year old James Nathaniel Pettit of Locust Street, Alexandria is charged with domestic assault. His bond is $2,500 and he will make a court appearance on May 5. Sheriff Ray said that on Saturday, April 23 a deputy responded to a residence on Locust Street due to a domestic disturbance. Upon arrival the officer spoke with Pettit and his wife. Pettit was determined to have been the primary aggressor in that he laid on the woman, restricting her movements and then kicked her out of bed. He also allegedly broke the door to a closet where she had been hiding when calling 911.
32 year old Veronica Lucille St. Hilaire of Dry Creek Road, Smithville is charged with a second offense of driving under the influence and driving on a suspended or revoked license. She was further cited for no insurance, violation of the implied consent law, violation of the open container law, for her automobile lacking a vehicle identification (VIN) number, and for criminal impersonation. She is under a $5,000 bond and her court date is May 5. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 24 a deputy responded to Highway 70 at the old Spinners Diner location where someone was found slumped over the steering wheel of her vehicle in the roadway. Upon arrival the officer found that EMS personnel had already arrived and were talking to St. Hilaire. Her speech was slurred and she was unaware of her whereabouts. Inside her vehicle, the deputy found an open bottle of vodka in a cup holder next to the driver’s seat. An empty vodka bottle was found in the back seat. St. Hilaire did not have a valid driver license. A computer check confirmed that her license were revoked for a previous driving under the influence offense. St. Hilaire refused to submit to a blood test. Her vehicle did not have a VIN number plate on the dashboard showing proper registration. She also falsely identified herself to the officer as Monica Gonzales.
27 year old Les Paul Miller of Barnes Mill Road is charged with being a fugitive from justice. His bond is $500,000. He will make a court appearance on April 28. Sheriff Ray said that on Sunday, April 24 a check of warrants revealed that Miller is wanted in Michigan on an outstanding warrant for being a parole absconder. Miller was placed under arrest.

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