Woman charged in Chester Co. workplace shooting pleads not guilty

CHESTER COUNTY, Tenn. — A woman accused of shooting a co-worker on the job at a Henderson factory made another court appearance Tuesday.

Kokeeta Lake went before a Chester County judge Tuesday morning to be arraigned in the workplace shooting.

Lake is charged with shooting her co-worker May 25 at the Quality Metal Stamping factory in the city of Henderson. She pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including attempted murder.

“The first thing we do in any kind of case is an arraignment,” Lake’s attorney, Robert Laher, said. “That means the grand jury has met and issued an indictment against my client. [It] doesn’t mean she’s guilty or she’s going to be found guilty — it simply means an indictment has been issued.”

Officials say the incident started with an argument and quickly got heated.

They say at one point Lake left the building, went to her car, got a gun, came back inside and shot the victim several times.

“Attempted murder, which is the most serious of all the charges. Several other charges are aggravated assault and the use of a deadly weapon,” Laher said.

Police say the 29-year-old left the scene but was eventually pulled over. The victim was airlifted to Memphis and is expected to recover.

Lake is currently free on a $250,000 bond.

“Since that time she has been with her family and is anxious to move forward on these charges,” Laher said.

Her attorney says her family has been her backbone through it all.

“I think it’s been a difficult time. Any time an accusation has been made against you, it’s going to be difficult,” Laher said. “I think she’s doing her best, and she has tremendous family support and we are thankful for that.”

Lake’s next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 13.