Man Charged with Assaulting His Uncle with an Axe Handle

Smithville Police have charged a man with aggravated domestic assault for allegedly attacking his uncle with a wooden axe handle.
29 year old Devin A. French is under a $5,000 bond and he will be in court on April 23.
According to a report by Corporal Chip Avera, ” On Wednesday, March 25 Officer Lance Dillard and I were dispatched to City Walk Apartments after receiving a report of a man being beaten up. While enroute, dispatch advised that the victim and the suspect had left together in a white truck. Officer Dillard located the vehicle and stopped it in the Sonic parking lot. We spoke to the victim, who was bleeding from his face and head. The man said he was beaten up while at City Walk Apartments and he thought his nephew, French may have done it”.
Corporal Avera’s report continued ” We spoke with the driver of the vehicle, French who said that his uncle was jumped by a group of people at City Walk Apartments and he was trying to help his uncle. French had blood on his hands, knuckles, pants, and shoes. There was blood in the bed of the truck and on the tailgate of the truck. Officers also found a wooden ax handle in the bed of the truck that had blood on it. They spoke to Devin’s girlfriend who said the three of them were riding in the truck together and Devin got into a verbal argument with the victim and that when they got to City Walk Apartments, Devin had enough and began beating the victim. An anonymous 911 caller reported that Devin had also bragged to others at City Walk Apartments that he had beaten up someone there.”
French was determined to have been the primary aggressor and was arrested.
39 year old Jimmy Layne Estes is charged with robbery. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court April 16.
According to Smithville Police, Corporal Travis Bryant was dispatched to a robbery on Monday, March 23 which had occurred on West Broad Street. After the incident, the victim had gone to 632 Highland Street. Upon arrival Corporal Bryant met with the victim who said he was at home at 443 West Broad Street when he answered the door to an unknown male (Estes). After the victim opened the door, the male suspect (Estes) grabbed his phone from him and threw it out in the yard. The man (Estes) then struck the victim in the head and took about $45 from his wallet. The man (Estes) also took the victim’s cane and struck him with it. The victim gave a description of the suspect and police located him (Estes) in the vicinity of the robbery a short time later. A search of his person revealed about $43 concealed in his underwear. Estes, who was identified by the victim at the police department incident to arrest, told police had had been with his aunt all day.
Prior to this incident, Estes was charged by Smithville Police on Sunday, March 8 with public intoxication and cited for simple possession of a schedule III drug and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on these offenses April 23. According to police, someone approached Officer Matt Farmer to report that a man wearing a red hoodie was walking beside South Mountain Street and that he appeared to be intoxicated. Officer Farmer responded and found the man walking on the sidewalk, weaving from side to side. He appeared to be having trouble keeping his balance. The officer stopped and talked to the man, whom he recognized as Estes. His speech was slurred and his eyes were red and watery. When asked if he had been drinking or taking anything to impair him, Estes replied that he had smoked a joint earlier. Asked if he was carrying anything illegal on him, Estes said he had two syringes in his pocket. Estes produced the syringes and placed them on the hood of the patrol car. Officer Farmer then asked Estes to empty his pockets. Estes produced a cut black straw containing residue along with a white Ibuprofen bottle containing a partial orange pill. Estes called it his Subutex pill. He could not provide a prescription for the pill. Estes was placed under arrest.
51 year old Paul Andrew Hall is charged with the domestic assault of his stepson. His bond is $2,500. According to police, Corporal Travis Bryant responded to 1222 South College Street on Sunday, March 8 in reference to a domestic dispute between a stepfather and stepson. Upon arrival, Corporal Bryant spoke with Hall who said he had been in a verbal argument with his wife. Hall’s stepson said he came out of his room and went into Paul’s room to calm the situation. Paul then allegedly grabbed him by the neck and began pushing him back. Corporal Bryant observed marks on the stepson’s neck and his face was swollen where he had been struck. He also observed a cut to Paul’s forehead. The wife said she witnessed Paul push the juvenile first. Paul was placed under arrest.
41 year old Stephanie A. Murphy is charged with public intoxication. Her bond is $1,500 and she will be in court on April 23. According to police, Patrolman Will D. Judkins received a call from dispatch regarding a gray Nissan Xtera swerving all over the road on West Broad Street. Dispatch then advised that the vehicle had pulled into the parking lot of the Smithville BP gas station. The tag came back to Murphy. The officer stopped to make a welfare check on the driver, Murphy, in the parking lot of Smithville BP. She was unsteady on her feet and had slurred speech. Murphy, who submitted to field sobriety tasks, said she had taken several oxy’s. Murphy was placed under arrest.
48 year old Marty Brad Tallent is charged with resist, stop, halt, frisk, arrest, or search and disorderly conduct. His bond is $2,000 and he will be in court on April 9. Smithville Police report that on Monday, March 23 Sergeant Brad Tatrow saw Tallent walking down the middle of the roadway into oncoming traffic with a guitar over his shoulder. Traffic was having to stop and back up to avoid him. Sergeant Tatrow stopped and got out of his vehicle, ordering Tallent to get out of the roadway. Tallent refused to comply with the verbal commands and turned toward the officer. Sergeant Tatrow continued issuing verbal commands for Tatrow to stop but he kept advancing and appeared to be aggressive. When it appeared that Tallent was not going to stop and fearing that he was going to be struck with the guitar, Sergeant Tatrow deployed and activated his taser. Tallent was then placed in custody.
31 year old Johnny Lynn DeVault is charged with violation of bond conditions. His bond is $2,500 and he will be in court April 9. According to police, on Thursday, March 19 Sergeant Brad Tatrow received information that Devault was at the home of his mother, who has an active “no contact” bond condition against him. Upon going to his mother’s home on Miller Road, Sergeant Tatrow found that Devault was there with his mother, which violates his bond condition. He was placed under arrest.
20 year old Thomas Lynn Rains was issued citations for speeding, failure to stop at a traffic control device (stop sign) and reckless endangerment, and he was charged with evading arrest. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court on April 23. Police report that on Monday, March 9 Patrolman Will Judkins was traveling north on South Congress Boulevard when he spotted a Ford Mustang traveling at a speed of 53 miles per hour in a posted 30 mile per hour zone. He then turned around and activated his emergency lights in an effort to stop the vehicle. The Mustang turned west on East Bryant Street and failed to stop at the College Street intersection. The officer activated his siren but the Mustang ran more stop signs, gaining more speed. He then turned south onto South Mountain Street, west on Kendra Drive, north on Georgia Lane, east on Miller Road, north on Anthony Avenue, west on West Broad Street, and north on Duncan Lane at which point the officer lost sight of the car. Patrolman Judkins terminated the pursuit but continued looking for the Mustang. He later saw it setting in the road on Coo-Coo Lane. After activating his emergency lights, Patrolman Judkins stopped and spoke with the driver, Rains, who said the reason he ran from the officer was because he was scared. Rains was then placed under arrest.
47 year old Andreas B. Allen of Sparta is charged with criminal impersonation. His bond is $1,500. According to police on Tuesday, March 3 Lieutenant Detective Matt Holmes responded to a call at McDonalds where the manager reported that a man there was harassing an employee. He said the man had been there several times before and that he had been asked to leave the property. Sheriff’s Department Detective Jeremy Taylor advised Holmes prior to his arrival that he observed the man acting suspiciously walking through the woods and hiding behind the dumpsters at McDonalds. Upon Holmes’ arrival, Detective Taylor advised him that he had seen the man’s vehicle pulling out of the McDonald’s parking lot heading southbound on South Congress Boulevard. The car was stopped at the Food Lion parking lot. The driver was Billy Knowles. The officer asked a passenger in the vehicle for his identification. The man could not produce an ID but said his name was Steven Allen and that his birthday was December 1, 1976. Officers later learned that the man, Andreas B. Allen had lied about his identity and that his actual birth date is March 12, 1968. He was placed under arrest. Allen told police that he lied about his name because he feared there might be warrants against him.
18 year old Ray Franklin Vincent is charged with assault. He is under a $2,500 bond. Police report that on Sunday, March 8 Sergeant Travis Bryant was dispatched to an assault call at 194 Village Place. While enroute, Sergeant Bryant was advised by dispatch that the suspect had left the scene in a gray sedan. As he approached the intersection of College and Main Streets, the officer saw a vehicle matching that description. He stopped the automobile and spoke with Vincent. According to Sergeant Bryant, Vincent told him that he had just been in a physical altercation at his girlfriend’s residence. The victim later told police that he and Vincent’s ex-girlfriend were sitting in his car when Vincent opened the door, pulled him out, and began to assault him. Another woman, who was inside the house, came outside when she saw what has happening and tried to pull Vincent off the victim. But Vincent allegedly kicked her in the face and struck her in the side of the stomach.