Ruth pleads guilty in Cooper death

A woman charged with vehicular homicide in an accident that occurred more than a year ago pleaded guilty Friday morning in Circuit Court. Lisa Marie Ruth, 44, of Oklahoma, was sentenced to 10 years for the crime.

According to Mike Randles, assistant district attorney, she could be eligible for parole after 30 percent of her sentence has been served.

Ruth was indicted by the Bedford County grand jury in November, and was arrested last month in connection with William Howard Cooper's death.

According to Sheriff Randall Boyce, on April 28, 2008, Ruth was driving a large truck pulling an empty horse trailer on Sandusky Road that ran head-on into the small truck in which Cooper, 81, was a passenger. Cooper and another man, the driver, had just finished breakfast and were driving around "looking for poke sallet," said Randles Friday. Cooper died at the scene, authorities said.

Ruth was allegedly intoxicated at the time of the accident, according to the bill issued by the grand jury. Randles told the court tests after the accident revealed both amphetamine and methamphetamine in Ruth's blood.

Circuit Court Judge Robert Crigler acknowledged the presence of Cooper's family in the courtroom and apologized for the length of time it took to bring the matter to a close. He offered his condolences to the family on its loss.

Petty gets 20 years

Christopher Aaron Petty, 20, of Shelbyville, also pleaded guilty Friday in Circuit court. Petty had been charged with three counts of rape of a child and was bound over to the grand jury at a hearing in March.

"He received 20 years per charge," said Randles. "They are concurrent -- he'll serve them at the same time, but at 100 percent."

What that means, said the ADA, is that there will be no probation or parole, and once Petty is released, he will face a lifetime of supervision and will be placed on the sex offender registry.

Detective Charles Merlo testified that in the course of his investigation, Petty confessed to three sexual encounters with the victim -- once when she was 10 years old in 2007 and twice last year, when she was 11 years of age.

J.W. Frazier, 79, of Shelbyville, has also been charged with rape of a child -- 26 counts. At general Sessions Court Friday, it was decided to hold a competency hearing for Frazier, but no date has been set. The alleged attacks that began last September involved an 8-year-old girl who was staying in Frazier's home before and after school, Merlo said at the time.

Smith bound over

Joshua Daniel Smith of Murfreesboro, was bound over to the grand jury in General Sessions Court. Smith, a former teacher and coach, has been charged with two counts each of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of solicitation of a minor.

According to warrants filed by Detective Charles Merlo, of the Shelbyville Police Department, Smith "did solicit sex from a law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old female minor."

The two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor were allegedly committed by Smith "by displaying to a law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old female juvenile, a picture sent through photo share on Yahoo chat," of a sexual nature, Merlo wrote.

James Lynne Stewart of Tullahoma, 51, was also bound over to the grand jury. Stewart faces charges of kidnapping, rape and aggravated assault.

According to warrants filed in General Sessions Court, Stewart allegedly raped a woman in her vehicle on Aug. 16, 2002, in Bedford County. The warrant read that "during this confinement, he (Stewart) did assault the victim and she did suffer serious bodily injury. Her left check was fractured and also did require three stitches and also required a stitch in her nose."

The warrant also stated the victim "also had bruising, cuts and scrapes all about her head area."

The vehicle was allegedly taken from the victim from the Normandy area and discovered abandoned in the Bi-Lo parking lot in Tullahoma the next day by Tullahoma police, the warrants allege.

Cases continued

A hearing for Richard Lowell 'Rick' Blanchard II, 45, of North Main Street, who is charged in the alleged aggravated robbery that took place March 8 at the Kangaroo store at the Madison Street-Deery Street intersection, has been set for June 22.

Jose Hermes Gomez and Wilson Palacio will also have hearings on June 22. They are charged with four counts of aggravated burglary each, stemming from a home invasion involving three young children. They were bound over to the grand jury in February.