Judge denies defendant's motion to dismiss in Dixon County case; resisting count dropped

Dixon County Circuit Court Judge David D. Wolfe on Aug. 20 denied pro se defendant Sherrick Vaughn’s motion to quash or dismiss and his motion to suppress evidence tied to Indictment 336, while the state voluntarily dropped a resisting-arrest charge, the court record shows.

The ruling came after testimony from Corporal Lindsey Javins of the Dixon Police Department and the partial playing of a patrol video. Corporal Javins testified that officers stopped the vehicle after a call reporting a possible domestic disturbance, that she asked Vaughn multiple times to step out, and that Vaughn later told her, "I'm a threat for a reason," while in custody at the jail. The defense played a 3 minutes, 6 seconds segment of the video and relied on that portion in argument; the court admitted the video as an exhibit for the motion hearing.

Why it matters: The court concluded there was sufficient probable cause for the matters the state intends to try on Indictment 336 — driving on a revoked license and a count of retaliation for past action — and denied the defendant's request to suppress or dismiss those counts. The judge found the evidence described at the hearing sufficient to send the retaliation allegation to a jury and rejected…