TBI: Cousins nabbed in Hardeman Co. jury tampering investigation

HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — A man and woman are charged with trying to influence the vote of a juror, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

Cecilia Hadley, left, and Delbert Pattat Jr.

After a TBI investigation, a Hardeman County grand jury has indicted Cecilia Hadley, 56, and her cousin, 53-year-old Delbert Pattat Jr. Both are charged with improper influence of a juror.

According to their indictments, the cousins were both communicating with a juror in the 2016 trial State vs. Steven Wayne Hadley.

In January of 2016, Hadley’s husband, Steven Hadley, 57, was charged with driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and refusing a drug test.

During the trial, a jury found Hadley not guilty on the DUI and drug charges. But the judge ruled he was guilty of not taking a drug test and suspended his license for a year.

District Attorney General Mike Dunavant wouldn’t say what alerted his office to possible jury tampering in the misdemeanor DUI case, but he says what the pair did to influence the not guilty verdict was against the law.

According to court documents, the co-defendants are scheduled to be back in court Aug. 11.

WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reached out to the family’s attorney but received no response.

The trial is set to begin in September.