Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Mason ordered to serve 12 years
A Cocke County man who has ongoing legal issues, Monday was ordered to serve a 12 year sentence on a Probation Violation. Charles "Chucky" Mason, Jr., 41, Happy Hollow Road, Parrottsville, was sentenced in Cocke County Circuit Court by Judge James Gass. In 2016 Mason was given a 20-year probation term after he pleaded guilty as a Range II offender to the Aggravated Assault of three individuals. Then in November 2016, officers with the Cocke County Sheriff's office and the Tennessee Department of Corrections found Methamphetamine, bullets and shotgun shells, various pills, and drug paraphernalia in his home. In addition, Probation Officer Darrell Kerr testified that Mason had been tampering with his required GPS ankle monitor. As a result, Judge Rex Henry Ogle ordered the sentence served. But Defense Attorney Troy Bowlin filed a motion asking that the Probation Violation charge be set aside based on a Court of Criminal Appeals ruling which held that "a warrantless search provision in a probation agreement does not permit the State to search a probationer's home without reasonable suspicion justifying the search." As a result, Judge Ogle ruled that Mason should be "immediately released" and again placed on probation for the remainder of his sentence. In March, Cocke County Sheriff Armando Fontes announced that Mason had been captured in Knoxville "at a residence believed to be involved in illegal activity," and again charged with violating his probation. So Monday Mason was in court on the new probation violation. Asst. Prosecutor Chuck Murphy told Judge Gass that during a previous hearing, Mason had admitted he was in violation of his probation. During the Monday court session, Pat Proffitt told the court he is afraid of Mason because the defendant has threatened to kill him and to slit the throat of Proffitt's wife, "because I brought charges against him." The defendant read a lengthy statement to the court saying he had found the Lord in prison, that he had been treated unfairly by law officers and prosecutors, and he went on to ask Judge Gass to allow him to go to a drug rehab facility and serve the sentence on probation. Murphy pointed out that Mason shot two people and also shot at a third leading to the initial charges. "He doesn't listen to anybody but himself...he is a violent offender," argued the prosecutor. Defense counsel Bowlin argued for bond for Mason saying he has served about 30 months of the sentence and he hasn't received needed medical care while in custody. The attorney added that the defendant wants to attend long-term treatment. The court in imposing the sentence referenced Mason's purported religious experience suggesting that was a positive move, but went on to point out that "there is still much concern if not animosity, in your attitude toward the causes that brought you to this juncture."


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