Former Gibson Co. sheriff to plead not guilty to strangling teen

GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — Former Gibson County sheriff Chuck Arnold is in trouble with the law again.

Chuck Arnold

This time, according to court documents, he is charged with aggravated assault, accused of strangling a then 16-year-old in October 2016.

“The sheriff will enter a not-guilty plea, and he looks forward to having this acquitted,” Ben Dempsey, Arnold’s attorney, said.

Dempsey spoke to WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News Wednesday by phone. He says the alleged victim is a family member.

“We interviewed the witnesses, and all of the witnesses deny that it happened,” Dempsey said.

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Josh DeVine says they launched the investigation Oct. 19 at the request of District Attorney General Garry Brown. The grand jury returned an indictment Monday, nearly five months later.

“Investigations can take some time,” DeVine said. “Obviously you want to collect evidence. You want to conduct interviews. You want to piece together all of the details.”

The TBI says Arnold was booked into the Gibson County Jail Tuesday on a $10,000 bond. The jail says he bonded out the same day.

In October 2016, Arnold pleaded guilty as part of a deal with the state to 23 counts. He was originally indicted on 113 counts involving theft, drugs and fraud for incidents during his tenure as sheriff.

The deal allowed him to avoid prison time. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and ordered to pay restitution.

We asked if the new charge will affect that deal.

“It predates it, so it has no bearing whatsoever,” Dempsey said.

The TBI says the alleged victim is OK.

The clerk’s office says Arnold’s next court date is set for 11 a.m. Friday.