Woman charged with murder in case of Kansas officer killed in shootout with car chase suspect

MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Tennessee woman was charged with first-degree murder on Wednesday in connection with the killing of a police officer in suburban Kansas City after a car chase ended in a shootout that also killed the fleeing vehicle’s driver.

Andrea Rene Cothran, 32, Goodlettsville, was already charged with crimes stemming from the Aug. 6 police chase, the Johnson County prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Those include aggravated battery, fleeing law enforcement, felony theft and reckless driving.

The earlier charges all pertain to the police chase, Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe told the Kansas City Star earlier this month. He said the battery charge is related to the start of the chase, using the vehicle as a deadly weapon.

Her bond was set at $1 million.

Fairway police Officer Jonah Oswald, 29, had been on the force for four years. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died a few days later. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

Police in the nearby suburb of Lenexa, Kansas, say the episode began when the suspected driver, Shannon Wayne Marshall of Ashland City, Tennessee, fled from police in what officers believed was a stolen car. When officers initially found the vehicle, police said the driver struck a patrol car.

Marshall drove along Interstate 35 to a QuikTrip store in Mission, another suburb, where police from multiple agencies tried to arrest him. Gunfire broke out and Marshall was killed.

Cothran’s attorney, Joel Rook, did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment Wednesday.

A Johnson County law enforcement team that is charged with reviewing officer-involved shootings is investigating.

District attorney drops at least 30 cases that involved officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols

NASHVILLE (AP) — A district attorney’s office in Tennessee said Thursday that his office has dropped 30 to 40 cases involving the five former officers who have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Tyre Nichols.

In a statement, Shelby County District Attorney Steven Mulroy’s spokesperson also said charges were reduced in about a dozen other cases involving the former Memphis Police officers. Four cases were referred to the U.S. attorney’s office for allegations of excessive force, the district attorney’s office added.

The decisions follow a review by Mulroy’s office of about 100 cases shared among the officers.

“DA Mulroy cites that the dismissals came down to the lack of credibility from the five officers since the charges,” Mulroy’s spokesperson, Erica Williams, said in the statement.

Caught on police video, the beating of the 29-year-old Nichols was one in a string of violent encounters between police and Black people that sparked protests and renewed debate about police brutality and police reform in the U.S.

Five officers have pleaded not guilty to criminal charges including second-degree murder in the Jan. 7 beating of Nichols after a traffic stop — and his death three days later.

The five officers — Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith — charged in the case are Black. So was Nichols.

The officers were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion. They punched Nichols, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother. Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death, though members of the unit have been moved to other teams.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice said it is investigating how Memphis Police Department officers use force and conduct arrests.

Even in the majority Black city of Memphis, the police department may be disproportionately focusing its traffic enforcement on Black drivers, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rights Division said in announcing the investigation.

The Justice Department announced in March a separate review concerning the use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units in the Memphis Police Department. Federal investigators also are looking specifically into Nichols’ arrest and death. Nichols’ mother has sued the city and its police chief over her son’s death.

Newport resident reports lawn equipment theft

Daphne Pacheco-Brown, a resident of Newport, is reportedly missing roughly $1,240 in lawn, garden and home maintenance equipment thought to be taken on or around Aug. 12.

Pacheco-Brown reported the stolen property and vandalism on Aug. 15, and Deputy Riley Lyman pulled up to the residence to find a broken lock on one of the sheds on the property as well as what appeared to be the door taken off then reassembled on another shed.

There were three structures total and although only one had items missing from it, all appeared to have been broken into.

Having just returned from vacation in another state, Pacheco-Brown told Lyman there were multiple gardening tools stolen from the shed to include a Craftsman weedeater, an electric drill, an impact drill, a brad nailer, a tree saw, a circular saw, a sawzall, (6) 40-volt batteries, a Craftsman charger, a tree trimmer, a portable handheld light, a speed square and a level.

The missing property from Pacheco-Brown’s residence is estimated to total $1,240 based on details, brands and quantities she provided to Lyman. There were no security cameras at the property.

The case is pending more information. If anyone has information regarding the potentially stolen equipment, the Cocke County Sheriff’s Office may be reached at (423) 623-6004 for non-emergent situations.

Boys & Girls Club of Morristown announces fall after-school schedule

The Boys & Girls Club of Morristown will OPEN for the Fall After-School Program on Monday, August 21st. The Club will be open Monday through Friday from 3:00 PM-7:00 PM for members ages 7-18. The TEEN Center will be open on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 7:00 PM-9:30 PM for teen members ages 13-18. All new members must attend an orientation prior to attending the Club. New member orientations are offered on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:00 PM. Memberships are $10 for ages 7-12 and $15 for ages 13-18.

Some of the programs and activities to be offered this Fall include: Head of the Class (an after-school tutoring and homework assistance time), computer access and classes, citizenship and leadership group clubs, arts and craft classes and activities, daily fitness activities, sports activities, basketball clinics, performing arts, swimming, games room, Tasty Tuesday’s & Thursday’s (free meal), daily snacks and so much more.

For additional information please contact the Club at (423) 586-2331 or stop by the facility located at 311 Sulphur Springs Rd. The Boys & Girls Club of Morristown is a participating agency of the United Way of Hamblen County.

Two arrested after road rage incident leads to verbal altercation

Two men got into a verbal altercation Wednesday evening at the Dollar General off Cosby Highway resulting in two arrests for disorderly conduct.

Andrew Thurman and Hannah Carter told police that Robert Branam had instigated a road rage incident which led to verbal insults and dangerous driving.

Both vehicles, one with Thurman and Carter as well as one with Branam, pulled into the Dollar General parking lot off Cosby Highway.

When the argument carried over to the store, bystanders called police out of fear of things escalating even further.

When questioned by law enforcement, Thurman said that Branam had been driving aggressively and had spurred the whole thing.

Customers inside the store, however, all consistently told police that Thurman and Carter approached Branam and began harassing him.

Branham did respond profanely to Thurman and Carter in an attempt to get them to leave him alone, however he was not found at fault due to both bystanders’ recollections of what had happened and the responding officer’s judgement from his interviews of both parties.

Thurman and Carter were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct because they had pursued Branam, followed him inside the store and continued to harass him in front of shoppers.