An Elizabethton man charged with attempting to kill four people made his first appearance in court Friday.
Jared Tyler Floyd, 20, of 102 E. H St., Apt. 7, appeared in General Sessions Court before Judge Keith Bowers Jr. and was arraigned on four counts of attempted murder, three counts of reckless endangerment and one count each of vandalism, resisting arrest and evading arrest.
Floyd requested a court-appointed attorney, and Bowers appointed the Public Defender’s Office to represent Floyd. Assistant Public Defender James Lonon said he was not aware of any conflicts his office would have in representing Floyd.
Bowers allowed Lonon a moment to confer with Floyd privately before bringing him to the podium for arraignment. Lonon waived a formal reading of the charges and entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client.
“We are asking for a short reset,” Lonon told Bowers. “We need to see if a mental health evaluation needs to be requested.”
Bowers scheduled Floyd to return to court on Feb. 5. Upon reviewing Floyd’s bond, Bowers decided to leave the bond unchanged at $130,000.
Officers of the Elizabethton Police Department arrested Floyd during the early morning hours on Thursday after receiving reports of a vehicle crashing into an apartment building at 327 S. Lynn Avenue.
As officers began to arrive in the area, EPD Capt. Jason Shaw saw a silver Dodge Caravan with front end damage and at least one flat tire driving in the area. Shaw began following the vehicle as it traveled around the area and then began returning to the apartment building. As Shaw watched, the driver, later identified as Floyd, accelerated and crashed into the building in the area of apartment number 3.
After that crash, a woman ran away from the apartment and, according to police, Floyd backed the van up and began chasing the woman in what appeared to be an attempt to run her over.
As Floyd chased the woman, Shaw said the van struck a stop sign, knocking it over into a police cruiser driven by EPD Cpl. Sarah Dingus. Shaw said the impact with the stop sign kept Floyd’s van from striking the running woman and also from striking Dingus’ car.
According to police reports, officers spoke with witnesses at the scene and residents of the apartments and learned Floyd had been drinking and got into an argument with his girlfriend around 2:30 a.m. and she left their apartment before the argument could escalate.
“Mr. Floyd then called (his girlfriend’s father) and said ‘I’m talking murder,’” EPD Sgt. Lincoln Orellana said. “(The father) said he asked Mr. Floyd what he was talking about, at which time Mr. Floyd hung up the phone.”
“(The father) said a few minutes later he heard a loud crashing noise outside,” Orellana added. “(He) said he opened the door and observed a van crashing into the building.”
Floyd was taken into custody and then transported to Sycamore Shoals Hospital for treatment.
“While Capt. Shaw was at the hospital with Mr. Floyd, he stated he was so overwhelmed with the situation that he was going to kill (his girlfriend) and then himself. (His girlfriend) is six months pregnant,” Orellana said, adding Floyd told officers he thought his girlfriend was in the apartment when he crashed into it. “When Mr. Floyd was asked if he thought the female that was running was (his girlfriend) he stated no. Mr. Floyd said he knew it was a neighbor, but wanted to kill whatever was in his way.”