Parole Hearing Set for September 24 in Fisher Voluntary Manslaughter Case

September 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A DeKalb County man serving time in prison for voluntary manslaughter is scheduled for another parole hearing this month.

55-year-old Albert Wayne Fisher, Jr. has served over two and a half years of a six-year sentence in the fatal 2019 Halloween shooting of his stepson, 38-year-old Tyler Durden outside the Fisher home on Eckles Heights in Liberty.

Fisher’s first parole hearing was held, March 14, 2023 at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville where he is incarcerated. Parole Board Chairman Richard Montgomery, who presided over the hearing, heard from Fisher as well as three supporters including his mother, and several family members along with the District Attorney General’s Office who was opposed to Fisher’s early release. Assistant DA Greg Strong participated in the hearing by video conference from Cookeville. Support and opposition letters were also in Fisher’s file.

The Board’s final decision from Fisher’s initial parole hearing was to decline parole due to the seriousness of the offense. Four concurring Board member votes were needed to reach the final decision. The Board scheduled another parole review for Mr. Fisher which, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction website will be Tuesday, September 24.

Fisher stood trial on November 17, 2021 on a charge of second-degree murder which carries a range of punishment as a Class A felony of 15-25 years, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser crime of voluntary manslaughter. The shooting occurred outside Fisher’s home on Eckles Heights in Liberty. Two months after the trial, Fisher was given the maximum prison term of six years for the crime by Judge Wesley Bray following a sentencing hearing in DeKalb County Criminal Court.

Fisher admitted firing the fatal shot but said he did it in self-defense because he felt threatened by the victim not knowing it was his stepson because he was wearing a Halloween disguise and never uttered a word. After the shooting, Durden was taken to Vanderbilt Hospital where he later died.

September 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

The DeKalb County Regional Planning Commission will have a public hearing during its next regular monthly meeting on Monday, September 9 at 6 p.m. at the courthouse on whether to change the subdivision road standards by removing the tar and chip availability to contractors and requiring that only asphalt or concrete be the standard for new road construction.

If approved by the planning commission, the new permitted types of surfacing standards would only apply to newly constructed roads. Existing roads in subdivisions or those over the last five years that have already received at least preliminary plat approval by the planning commission could not be held to the new standards. Those roads would be maintained in the manner they were constructed, tar and chip, etc.

Road Supervisor Danny Hale, who is making the recommendation, said by changing the standards, roads would be built better and hold up longer.

In addition to this issue, the agenda for the planning commission is as follows:

Consideration of a preliminary subdivision plat for property located on Johnson Chapel Road (JRB Developers Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Goff Ridge Road and Landis Road (Brown Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Allen Ferry Road (Clayton Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on Old Snow Hill Road (Duke Division)

Consideration of a final subdivision plat for property located on A.B. Frazier Road (Turner Division)

Staff Report-Arms Division and Averbach Combination

Other business as necessary.

September 3, 2024
By: Dwayne Page

A motorist was arrested Sunday after allegedly being found with heroin and methamphetamine during a traffic stop.

47-year-old Martha Renee Kirby of Smithville is charged with possession of drug paraphernalia; driving while in possession of methamphetamine; possession of methamphetamine with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver; and possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver. Her bond is $46,000 and she will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Brian Williams of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department said that on September 1 a deputy pulled over a BMW driven by Kirby and during the stop the officer received consent to search and found in the vehicle a clear baggie containing a white powdery substance believed to be heroin that weighed 1.66 grams; three other clear baggies that held a crystal like substance thought to be methamphetamine with a total weight of 5 grams; and three glass pipes believed to contain drug residue.

47-year-old James Walter Stringer of Dowelltown is charged with violation of the sex offender registry. His bond is $5,000 and he will be in court September 12.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 30 a deputy went to a residence on West Main Street in Dowelltown to conduct a welfare check on a woman and child but found Stringer there alone with the child. Stringer claimed the woman, who had left the residence, was his girlfriend and that she had left the child, her daughter, in his care while she was gone. But that constituted a violation since Stringer is under a court order not to be alone with a child unsupervised not related to him.

43-year-old William Davis Tarpley of Gordonsville is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $2,000 and he will make a court appearance September 12.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 31 Tarpley was found to be under the influence. He allegedly admitted to having taken 10 pills earlier in the day and showed signs of intoxication by sweating profusely, being unsteady on his feet, and his pupils were dilated.

42-year-old William Joseph Scott is charged with possession of a handgun while under the influence, driving under the influence, and reckless driving, His bond is $5,500 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on August 31 a deputy was on patrol when he spotted a red Dodge Ram with a taillight out doing a burnout in the intersection of West Bryant Street and South College Street with the driver having no regard for other citizens and vehicles around. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Scott who smelled of alcohol. His eyes were bloodshot and watery. Scott was unsteady on his feet and his speech was slurred. He allegedly admitted to having consumed two shots of alcohol and he said a loaded handgun could be found on the front seat. The weapon, a Beretta APX 40 caliber handgun, was recovered. Scott was asked to submit to field sobriety tasks, but he refused.

45-year-old Jessie Comer Harris of Dowelltown is charged with public intoxication. His bond is $1,500 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on September 1 Harris was found to be under the influence. He was sweating profusely. His pupils were dilated, and he could not focus on a single conversation.

27-year-old Raymundo Larragoytia Serrano of Smithville is charged with driving under the influence and no valid driver license. His bond is $4,000 and he will be in court September 19.

Chief Deputy Williams said that on September 1 a deputy was traveling west on East Broad Street when he spotted a black Chevy Monte Carlo leave its lane of travel several times. The officer pulled over the vehicle and spoke with the driver, Serrano who smelled of alcohol. His eyes were red and watery, and he was unsteady on his feet. He allegedly admitted to having consumed five alcoholic beverages prior to driving. Serrano submitted to but performed poorly on field sobriety tasks. Upon arrival at the sheriff’s department Serrano also allegedly admitted to having taken cocaine prior to driving. He had no valid identification.

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