Cheatham County docket: murder arraignment, multiple pleas, probation revocations and a $25,000 bond set

Ashland City, Tenn. — At the Cheatham County criminal docket on March term, the court arraigned one defendant on a second‑degree murder indictment, appointed counsel, accepted several guilty or no‑contest pleas and probation agreements, revoked probation in multiple cases and ordered a conditional forfeiture and new bond for a defendant who failed to appear.

The most serious case called was the arraignment of Christopher B. Stokes on a second‑degree murder indictment arising from an alleged December 2023 death. The court read the grand‑jury presentment and appointed counsel for Stokes. The judge set a status date for April 15 and instructed counsel to confer with the defendant. “He’s now been arraigned, so we need to set status,” the presiding judge said as the court scheduled the next appearance.

Beyond the murder arraignment, the court resolved a string of pleas and probation matters. Angel Elizabeth Gowen pleaded no contest to an amended charge of reckless homicide; the court sentenced her to six years in the Tennessee Department of Correction, suspended after one year in the county jail and…