Case against woman charged with assaulting witness bound over to Grand Jury
Published 4:20 pm Monday, June 12, 2017
- Star Photo/Abby Morris-Frye Jessica Worthington, at right, speaks with her attorney C.J. Roberts before her court appearance on Monday.
The case against a Carter County woman charged with assaulting a witness in the hallway of the Carter County Justice Center has been bound over to the Grand Jury.
On Monday, Jessica Worthington, 30, of 300 Lovers Lane, Elizabethton, appeared in Carter County General Sessions Court on Monday with her attorney C.J. Roberts. Worthington stands charged with retaliation for past action, which is classified as a “Class E felony” under state law.
“Ms. Worthington is in agreement with the State to waive her preliminary hearing in exchange for lowering her bond to $3,000,” Roberts informed the court.
Judge Keith Bowers Jr. bound the case over to the Grand Jury and instructed Worthington to appear in Carter County Criminal Court on Oct. 2. Bowers also agreed to the bond reduction which was part of the agreement.
The charge against Worthington stems from an incident on May 4. According to court documents, Deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office witnessed Worthington assaulting another woman, identified as Nyoka Arthur, after the two women exited the courtroom. Officers were able to detain Worthington and place her under arrest.
Arthur told officers she and Worthington began to argue as they left the courtroom because Worthington was upset about her testimony in Juvenile Court.
Worthington made her first appearance in court on the case on May 5, and when Assistant Public Defender Dwayne Fortner requested the court release her on her own recognizance, Bowers took issue with the request.
“I think the $1,000 bond is ridiculously low,” Bowers said in court on May 5. He then increased Worthington’s bond to $10,000. Bowers said his decision was based on the seriousness of the charge and the fact Worthington allegedly attacked a witness following a court proceeding despite the fact she was in a courthouse and deputies were present. He called Worthington’s actions a “slap in the face of justice.”
While the Public Defender’s Office was initially appointed to represent Worthington, Bowers later appointed C.J. Roberts to represent the woman after Public Defender Jeff Kelly informed the court his office had a conflict because they currently represent Arthur in a case.
