Tansi man guilty of DUI by meth

Oct. 9—A Cumberland County jury was only out of the courtroom for about 30 minutes before returning with a guilty verdict in a driving while impaired trial Thursday. A sentencing hearing has been set for Nov. 6.

Assistant District Attorneys Rachel Bateman and Allison Null relied on two witnesses to prove Robert Sean Newman, Lake Tansi, was driving under the influence of methamphetamine on the night of Aug. 20, 2021, when he was stopped by Tennessee Highway Patrol Trooper Bobby Barker.

Newman, defended by Crossville attorney Kyle Cokkinias, exercised his right to not testify and reaffirmed that decision during a required on-the-record hearing before Criminal Court Judge Gary McKenzie.

Barker testified he pulled up to the red light at Hwy. 70 N. and Northside Dr. shortly before midnight. One other vehicle was in the north lane and when the light turned to green, the motorist took a wide swing out of the lane of travel to turn right onto Northside Dr.

Barker decided to follow and observe the motorist's driving and upon seeing the driver cross out of the lane of travel, turned on his patrol car camera. The trooper testified he then observed the motorist cross right of the fog lane and stopped the motorist, following the driver into the Bojangles' parking lot.

A series of "divided attention" sobriety tests followed. Barker said he smell alcohol and Newman told him he had drank "two beers" prior to leaving home. The trooper then decided to take Newman to Cumberland Medical Center where a blood alcohol test was taken in the hospital's lab.

That test was sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation lab in Nashville for analysis.

TBI Special Agent Sara Douglas, a forensic and toxicologist, testified she conducted the lab work on the blood sample. No trace of alcohol was found in the blood, but traces of amphetamine and methamphetamine were found in the blood.

She described meth as "an interesting drug" that can produce both highs and lows. When acting as a stimulate, Douglas testified, it can affect a person's focus and cause anxious feelings.

The jury assessed a $500 fine and a hearing will be held Nov. 6 the sentence and manner in which it will be served. Options include straight probation, a split sentence of time to serve and supervised probation or a jail sentence.

Michael Moser may be reached at mmoser@crossville-chronicle.com