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Houston County Circuit Court hears arraignments; several defendants enter pleas, receive sentences or status dates
Summary
Judge David D. Wolfe presided over a multi-defendant docket April 23, 2025, that included a guilty plea and sentence in a DUI case, probation-violation proceedings with treatment-conditional probation, a no-contest plea in an attempted custodial-interference case and numerous arraignments and status settings.
Judge David D. Wolfe presided over a docket at the Houston County Courthouse on April 23, 2025, during which multiple defendants were arraigned, counsel was appointed in several cases, and a number of pleas and dispositions were entered.
Deborah Parker Gray pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in docket number 2024CR29 and the second count was dismissed. The court imposed a sentence of 2 years, 11 months and 29 days with $350 in fines and court costs; all but 48 hours of the jail term was suspended. Judge Wolfe ordered Gray to report to the county jail on April 23, 2025, at 8 a.m. to serve the 48-hour portion, required completion of a driving-while-impaired school and revoked Gray’s driver’s license for one year while signing an order for a restricted license. Defense counsel on the record was identified as Mr. Runyon; the state was represented in open court by an unnamed prosecutor. Gray stated on the record that she understood the consequences and that she “did” commit the offense when asked whether she was guilty.
In a probation-violation matter, Benjamin ("Mister") Slade admitted violating his probation and the court held a disposition hearing. Probation officer Jenny Donnelly testified that Slade had multiple positive drug tests in June 2023 (methamphetamine, fentanyl and alcohol among them) and then failed to report. Judge Wolfe declined to revoke Slade to full incarceration immediately, instead essentially restarting his probation: the judge extended the supervision by two consecutive terms of 11 months and 29 days, ordered Slade to enroll in and complete the treatment program his probation officer selects (inpatient or outpatient as directed), and imposed a zero-tolerance drug testing condition that will result in serving the original two-year sentence on any confirmed positive test for illegal substances. On the record Judge Wolfe told Slade, “The only way you’re gonna avoid serving your time is to get treatment and to avoid drug.”
Priscilla Ann Brooks admitted a probation violation and, under an agreement reported in court, was revoked to serve the remainder of her sentence with credit for time served. The court recorded credit computations to be made by the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Robert Lee Aaron pled no contest to an amended charge of attempted custodial interference (class A misdemeanor) in case 2024CR204. The court found him guilty, sentenced him to 11 months and 29 days in county jail with credit for time served, ordered no contact with the victim, and noted that Aaron will be supervised by telephone once he returns to Missouri.
The docket also included several arraignments and status settings: public defenders were appointed in numerous cases, plea deadlines and status dates were set (commonly June 23, July 21 or August 25, 2025), and multiple defendants entered not-guilty pleas to indictments involving drug possession, manufacture, child-endangerment and assault-related charges. Notable procedural actions included the court accepting an appointed-attorney’s motion to withdraw in the Michael Eugene Odom matter and appointing new counsel (Mark Atchison) with the case reset for May status; the court read a superseding indictment in Odom’s case and set further status review for May 27, 2025.
Other administrative points on the record: the court swore numerous defendants, instructed several pro se or indigent defendants to complete affidavits of income and expenses for appointment-of-counsel determinations, and confirmed transportation or video connections for out-of-county or in-jail appearances (several defendants appeared by jail video or Zoom). The docket closed with the court confirming trial assignments and plea deadlines where counsel and the parties had not reached agreements.
The session combined final dispositions (guilty/no-contest pleas and sentencing), treatment-conditional probation outcomes, and routine arraignment work that produced multiple future dates for status hearings and trials.
