Jury convicts Edgar T. Harrison Jr. of assault after Pleasant View fight; aggravated-assault and child-abuse counts acquitted

A Cheatham County jury on Friday convicted Edgar T. Harrison Jr. of assault for his role in a neighborhood altercation on April 15, 2023, but acquitted him of child-abuse and aggravated-assault charges, the court announced after jurors returned their verdict.

Jurors found Harrison guilty on count 3 (assault) and not guilty on counts 1 (child abuse) and 2 (aggravated assault) and all lesser included offenses tied to count 2. Presiding Judge David D. Wolfe received the verdict in Ashland City and set a sentencing hearing for March 10 at 1:30 p.m.; Harrison will remain on bond until that date.

The state’s case relied on eyewitness testimony that a dispute over a missing phone escalated outside a Pleasant View home and turned violent after Harrison arrived. Prosecutors described a sequence in which witnesses said Harrison knocked 16-year-old Braden Bracey to the ground, kicked him while he was down and struck Braden’s mother, Chantelle Bracey, leaving her bleeding from a head wound. “This is a case about a man who turned an ordinary neighborhood misunderstanding into violence,” the prosecutor told jurors during closing argument.

Three neighbors who testified for the state — Brianna Kaylor, Braden Bracey and Chantelle Bracey — described hearing a woman at Kaylor’s door accuse the children inside of taking a phone, neighbors coming to assist, and the situation escalating when Harrison arrived. Deputy Michael Ward, the first officer on the scene, testified he observed Chantelle Bracey bleeding from the top of her head and later located a phone at the corner of the road; he also said Harrison admitted on contact that he had punched someone.

Harrison testified in his own defense. He told the jury he went to his wife’s aid after she called him, said he was struck first and fought back to protect her, and acknowledged he ‘‘cleaned his clock’’ and used force against the teenager — arguing he had not realized the youth’s age at the time. Harrison also disputed that he kicked Chantelle Bracey. Defense counsel told jurors the confrontation was amplified by neighbors who arrived and intentionally escalated the dispute.

The judge’s instructions explained the elements the jury had to find for each offense and clarified lesser-included offenses, identity and the requirement that verdicts be unanimous. After closing arguments and instructions, the jury deliberated and delivered the split verdicts.

The court ordered a presentence report and scheduled sentencing for March 10 at 1:30 p.m. The judge said Harrison will remain on bond pending that hearing.

Authorities cited in court included statutory references to Tennessee criminal statutes named in the indictment: TCA 39-15-401 (child abuse), TCA 39-13-102 (aggravated assault), and TCA 39-13-10 (assault).