Court appoints attorney for man charged with attempted murder
Published 8:58 am Monday, November 27, 2017
- Timothy Stapp
A Carter County man charged in connection with a reported home invasion robbery made his first appearance in Criminal Court this week.
Timothy Stapp, 44, of 128 Norman Joines Road, Elizabethton, appeared in Criminal Court before Judge Lisa Rice on Monday. Stapp filed out an affidavit of indigency requesting a court-appointed attorney to represent him. Rice reviewed the application and granted the request, appointing the Public Defender’s Office to represent Stapp. The Public Defender’s Office represented Stapp in the case while it was still before the General Sessions Court.
In court on Monday, Stapp asked the court to order a mental health evaluation for him, but Rice cautioned Stapp to make any requests or statements through his attorney.
General Sessions Court Judge Keith Bowers Jr. signed an order on May 26 while the case was under his purview directing a mental health evaluation be performed on Stapp to determine his competency to stand trial, his mental condition at the time of the alleged crime (insanity defense), and diminished capacity.
Rice scheduled Stapp to return to court on Feb. 2.
The charges against Stapp stem from an investigation by the Carter County Sheriff’s Office into a report of a home invasion in the Stoney Creek community on May 4.
Stapp allegedly forced his way into a home and held the owner at gunpoint before firing multiple shots from the gun at the man.
Deputies of the Carter County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Mill Creek Road after a woman called 911 to report an armed subject forced his way into her home and was holding her husband hostage at gunpoint. The woman was able to escape the home and make it to a neighbor’s to call 911.
According to court documents, as officers approached the home they heard a man, later identified as Stapp, talking with the male resident. Officers said Stapp fired multiple shots at the man as he fled from the home. Stapp later surrendered.
Following his arrest, investigators interviewed Stapp regarding the incident.
“The defendant (said) that he waited for the victim outside of his home for several hours during the early morning hours,” CCSO Investigator Michael Bean said. “When the victim raised the garage door the defendant entered the garage and held him at gunpoint. He ordered the victim back into the residence where they began talking.”