When a judge sentences probation and mental help instead of jail
Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 4:20 pm
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/c ... 615421002/
“Long criminal history here in Sumner County for the man suspected of killing 7 people and critically injuring another. I’ve been at 2 courthouses, the Sumner County Jail and at the DA’s office and this is what I have:
August 2012: An order of protection was taken out by his child’s mother, who was 17 at the time. She claims in the protective order that Cummins is stalking her.
December 2012: An officer in Westmoreland, TN sees a car parked at an abandoned business. Cummins, a friend and his child’s mother are in the car. Cummins is arrested for violating the order of protection against the 17-year-old and six oxycodone pills were found on him.
January 2013: Cummins is convicted and is sentenced to random drug screening.
August 2, 2013: Violates probation by testing positive for marijuana.
Aug 19, 2013: Arrested for domestic violence against his aunt. He told police he “blacked out with anger and began throwing things at this aunt and tearing up the house when she accused him of stealing money.
Aug 21, 2013: Cummins is charged for violation of probation due to the domestic assault charge.
September 2013: He pleaded guilty to all and he’s sentenced to 150 days in jail.
Things are relatively quiet but then in 2017, Cummins re-emerges.
Feb 2017: He’s charged with stealing a neighbor’s turkey and with evading arrest.
April 2017: He’s found guilty of evading arrest and theft of property and is sentenced to supervised probation for a year. He’s also required to complete mental health treatment.
May 6, 2017: Charged with robbery and domestic assault after he steals medication from his grandma’s purse and uses her hair to move her.
June 17, 2017: He’s arrested
Aug 2, 2017: He goes to to court for the charges and is found guilty. They release him on time served and require him to attend domestic violence classes.
Sept 13, 2017: He’s charged with aggravated arson and aggravated assault after he sets fire to his neighbor’s house, attacks her and threatens that when he gets out of jail he will “finish the job.”
The case is bound over to Circuit Court.
July 2018: Pleads no contest to attempted aggravated arson and aggravated assault. Sentenced to 180 days and 10 years state probation.
April 26, 2019: His probation officer says Cummins did not complete the mental health evaluation like he was supposed to so he goes to take out a warrant for his arrest.
April 27, 2019: Cummins is wanted for murdering 7 people.
The Sumner County DA, Ray Whitley, told me it’s not uncommon to sentence someone to probation and require them to get mental health treatment to improve their lives. It’s better to get someone help than to leave them in jail, said Whitley. However, he said repeat offenders are an issue in the criminal justice system but that you can’t predict human behavior. “If we would have known what he was going to do, we would never have let him out.” “. From Jessica Janglois
Doesn’t say he used a gun to kill all seven of his relatives.
We have a very poor record when it comes to mental illness and locking people up. We are more concerned about their rights. He didn’t finish off the neighbor he tried to burn to death and failed. Judge order him to stay away from her after he promised to kill her and I guess he did.
“Long criminal history here in Sumner County for the man suspected of killing 7 people and critically injuring another. I’ve been at 2 courthouses, the Sumner County Jail and at the DA’s office and this is what I have:
August 2012: An order of protection was taken out by his child’s mother, who was 17 at the time. She claims in the protective order that Cummins is stalking her.
December 2012: An officer in Westmoreland, TN sees a car parked at an abandoned business. Cummins, a friend and his child’s mother are in the car. Cummins is arrested for violating the order of protection against the 17-year-old and six oxycodone pills were found on him.
January 2013: Cummins is convicted and is sentenced to random drug screening.
August 2, 2013: Violates probation by testing positive for marijuana.
Aug 19, 2013: Arrested for domestic violence against his aunt. He told police he “blacked out with anger and began throwing things at this aunt and tearing up the house when she accused him of stealing money.
Aug 21, 2013: Cummins is charged for violation of probation due to the domestic assault charge.
September 2013: He pleaded guilty to all and he’s sentenced to 150 days in jail.
Things are relatively quiet but then in 2017, Cummins re-emerges.
Feb 2017: He’s charged with stealing a neighbor’s turkey and with evading arrest.
April 2017: He’s found guilty of evading arrest and theft of property and is sentenced to supervised probation for a year. He’s also required to complete mental health treatment.
May 6, 2017: Charged with robbery and domestic assault after he steals medication from his grandma’s purse and uses her hair to move her.
June 17, 2017: He’s arrested
Aug 2, 2017: He goes to to court for the charges and is found guilty. They release him on time served and require him to attend domestic violence classes.
Sept 13, 2017: He’s charged with aggravated arson and aggravated assault after he sets fire to his neighbor’s house, attacks her and threatens that when he gets out of jail he will “finish the job.”
The case is bound over to Circuit Court.
July 2018: Pleads no contest to attempted aggravated arson and aggravated assault. Sentenced to 180 days and 10 years state probation.
April 26, 2019: His probation officer says Cummins did not complete the mental health evaluation like he was supposed to so he goes to take out a warrant for his arrest.
April 27, 2019: Cummins is wanted for murdering 7 people.
The Sumner County DA, Ray Whitley, told me it’s not uncommon to sentence someone to probation and require them to get mental health treatment to improve their lives. It’s better to get someone help than to leave them in jail, said Whitley. However, he said repeat offenders are an issue in the criminal justice system but that you can’t predict human behavior. “If we would have known what he was going to do, we would never have let him out.” “. From Jessica Janglois
Doesn’t say he used a gun to kill all seven of his relatives.
We have a very poor record when it comes to mental illness and locking people up. We are more concerned about their rights. He didn’t finish off the neighbor he tried to burn to death and failed. Judge order him to stay away from her after he promised to kill her and I guess he did.