Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Strong guilty plea
A Cocke Couny woman who ran over a man in the driveway of her home in June, 2013, has entered a guilty plea in Cocke County Circuit Court. Rebecca Gail Strong, 43, Armory Road, Newport, was charged with intentionally hitting 42 year-old Earl Victor Williams, a neighbor, at 7:12 pm, according to investigators. Williams ended up in serious condition in the intensive care unit of the University of Tennessee Medical Center. Deputy Lt. Steve Johnson said he arrived on the scene to find Williams lying in the driveway of the defendant's home. Witnesses reported that Ms. Strong had run over the victim with her van, resulting in compound fractures and a head injury. The officer said the two had been arguing most of the day about food that Ms. Strong had previously loaned to Williams. She became upset because "he had brought beer to his apartment earlier in the day and she stated that she then knew he had money." According to officers, Ms. Strong had asked Mr. Williams to re-pay her the money so she could buy food for her children. Mr. Williams refused leading to the incident in the parking lot. Ms. Strong fled the scene after running over Williams, but later surrendered to authorities. She detailed her version of the events and then was jailed on charges of vehicular assault, leaving the scene of an accident with injury, driving uninsured and driving on a revoked license. In the plea agreement, Strong pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, and the other charges were dismissed. She was given a four year term by Judge Ben Hooper but released on time served and will be on probation for the balance of the sentence. Strong also is to have no contact with Williams.


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