A
Lenoir City man charged with vehicular homicide in a March 23 wreck
that killed a 28-year-old Maryville woman has a history of driving
under the influence — at least four convictions in the past 20
years.
Court filings show Chad Eric Sheffer, 41, was
arrested four times for DUI: twice in Gwinnett County, Ga., in 1998
and 2001, once in Clayton County, Ga., in 2005; and once in Monroe
County in 2011. He was convicted of these charges in 1999, 2002,
2006 and 2011, respectively.
The Blount County District Attorney’s Office filed
motions Friday to amend its initial charge of vehicular homicide to
aggravated vehicular homicide and to remain in jail until his trial.
State law permits defendants with two or more prior
DUI convictions to be charged with aggravated vehicular homicide.
The class A felony is punishable by 15 years to 25 years in prison.
The office also filed a motion Friday to either
revoke Sheffer’s bond or increase the amount to $500,000 due to his
“failure to comply with the rules and conditions of his pre-trial
release,” a motion states. It contends he is a “danger to the
community” given his four prior DUI convictions and that “there are
no additional bail conditions that the Court could impose to relieve
this danger.”
Sheffer was arrested June 25 and held without bond
following a meeting with pre-trial release officers. The Lenoir City
man admitted to officers that he had smoked THC (one of the chemical
compounds in marijuana) on June 20, violating the terms of his
pre-trial release. His release conditions explicitly forbid the use
of alcohol and controlled substances.
Prosecutors contend his use of illegal drugs is
“particularly troublesome” due to both his “causing the death of a
young woman due to impaired driving” and his “history of misusing
intoxicants,” a motion states. Sheffer has “left no safe alternative
but pre-trial incarceration.”
During a hearing Monday afternoon, Blount County
Assistant District Attorney General J. Scott Stuart and Assistant
Public Defender Shawn Graham requested that a preliminary hearing to
discuss these motions be set for 1:30 p.m. July 16. Blount County
General Sessions Court Judge William R. Brewer granted their
request.
Sheffer was involved in a Topside Road crash that
resulted in the death of Kristy M. Strickland. As part of his
pre-trial release, he was ordered confined to his residence,
excluding trips to his doctor, his probation officer, his attorney
and to court. He also was fitted with GPS and transdermal
alcohol-monitoring devices.
Sheffer caused the March 23 collision when his pickup
truck drifted into the oncoming lane and struck Strickland’s vehicle
head-on, the Tennessee Highway Patrol determined. The agency
reported Sheffer had been drinking before the crash.
He was injured and taken to University of
Tennessee Medical Center. He spent several days in the hospital
and showed up for his first two court appearances in April with
a walking aid. He is currently walking without any assistance.
A passenger in Strickland’s vehicle, Thomas L.
Daniele, 25, Maryville, also was injured and was taken to Blount
Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released. Officers
said he and Strickland were wearing seat belts, while Sheffer
was not.
Authorities issued an arrest warrant March 24 for
Sheffer, but he wasn’t served until April 4 due to his
hospitalization. At that point, the Lenoir City man’s bond was
set at $50,000.
Sheffer was found to be indigent, and the Blount
County Public Defender’s Office was appointed April 5 to
represent him. Assistant Public Defender George Waters argued
that his client was unable to make bond due to medical issues,
and the defendant’s bond later was reduced to $1,000.
Sheffer was free on that bond from April 9 until
his arrest last week. He is being held at Blount County Jail.