Charges dismissed against Dyersburg man involved in fatal fight

DYERSBURG, Tenn. — A Dyersburg man involved in a fatal fight has been released from jail.

Robert Chesser was walking out of the bar Saturday, Aug. 28 when he and four other men got into a fight.

Surveillance video shows Chesser and the men having some type of argument.

The video shows the argument that led to punches being thrown and more people jumping into the fight.

During the course of the melee, where several people chased Chesser, four men were stabbed, with one dying at the scene.

As a result of the fight, Chesser was arrested and charged with several different offenses.

After reviewing the surveillance video, District Attorney General Danny Goodman relieved Chesser of all charges.

He says the video shows Chesser was acting in self defense and his actions were the result of being attacked.

“He did pull that knife, and he did stand his ground. He did not approach any of the individuals, but he did not leave either. At that time, he was struck by two of the males,” Goodman said.

Goodman says the self-defense law in the Tennessee states a person can protect themselves if they believed their life is threatened. And he believes that is what happened with Chesser.

“That threat is something that is a real threat. It is reasonably believable that that is a serious and real threat to you, then you have a right to defend yourself. That includes using deadly force if necessary,” Goodman said.

After reviewing camera footage from the bar parking lot, he believes Chesser was within those self-defense guidelines.

Goodman says he will not close the case, and it will be able to come back to court if any evidence is found that he was not acting in self-defense.

“I dismissed it without prejudice, and that means that these charges can be brought back up at a later time. Unless there is new evidence that comes to light, there will be no new charges,” Goodman said.

Chesser was released from jail after Goodman dropped the charges.