A man free on bond while awaiting trial on charges that he beat and tried to kidnap his ex-wife then later tried to hire someone to kill her is now wanted by police on charges he stalked the woman.
Executive Assistant District Attorney Neal Pinkston called a local detective to the witness stand Monday for testimony that would help revoke Shannon Ory's bond before his scheduled Nov. 29 trial.
Hamilton County Sheriff's Detective Jeff Baker testified that Francis Ory, 41, Shannon's ex-wife, called him Friday from Davidson County and said Shannon Ory was waiting for her outside her workplace.
Shannon, 43, followed his ex-wife into the building where she hid from him in a locked office.
"[She] walked out of the building, saw Ory standing there, and retreated back into the building," Baker testified. "He went inside, she locked herself in an office and called 911."
Cellphone trace
Baker traced Ory's movements that evening with assistance from a cellphone company. Tracking technology showed that Ory drove through Hixson and then to the Trenton, Ga., Days Inn.
When police arrived at the motel, Ory had left.
Francis told police that a few days before the workplace incident her two children came into her Davidson County home and told her that their father, Shannon, had followed them on a motorcycle as they rode bicycles in the neighborhood.
She dismissed the children's stories, believing that Shannon did not know where she lived, Baker testified.
Judge Don Poole revoked Shannon's $250,000 bond on charges of identity theft, attempted first-degree murder, attempted especially aggravated kidnapping and solicitation to commit murder.
Shannon had appeared with his attorney, Chris Helton, on Oct. 31 for a final pretrial hearing concerning those charges. Prosecutors had offered Shannon a plea deal prior to his Nov. 29 trial. The deadline was Nov. 4, the same day his ex-wife said he came to her workplace.
As detailed in court documents, this is what Francis told police happened on Dec. 16, 2009:
Attack in driveway
As she pulled out of the driveway of her Old Hunter Road home on her way to work she saw that trash cans were in the middle of the driveway, according to court documents.
When she got out of the car to move the trash cans, a man came out of nearby woods, wearing dark clothing, a mask and gloves and attacked her.
The man hit her on the face several times and then pushed her under her vehicle. He then got into the driver's seat and tried to run over her.
She got out from under the car. The attacker shoved her back underneath three times before forcing her into the back seat of the car and driving away.
She escaped the car and ran into a ditch. The attacker left the car and ran down the road.
The assault broke Francis' noses and her left eye socket.
She told police she knew it was Shannon.
Police went to Shannon's 6700 Flag Crest Drive home where they found a wet long-sleeved black shirt with blood on it and a black, open-faced hood in a bag with other clothing.
Hamilton County Sheriff's deputies arrested Shannon Ory on charges of attempted first-degree murder and attempted especially aggravated kidnapping.
The solicitation to commit murder charge came a few months later.
On April 4, 2010, Hamilton County Jail inmate Billy Joseph Bryant told jailers Ory had approached him and offered him $10,000 to "have something done" to Francis Ory, saying he had beaten her in December with brass knuckles and the only way he was going to keep from going to prison was if she could not testify.
Bryant said he knew Shannon because he had smoked crack cocaine with Shannon when the man came by a dope house in East Lake to pick up prostitutes in 2007 and 2008.
Free on bond
Court records show that Shannon Ory was released on the $250,000 bond in June 2010. Often bonding companies charge 10 percent of the bond to an inmate, but some local bond companies have charged as low as 3 percent, Chattanooga Times Free Press archives show.
Baker said Shannon has a Texas state identification with a Galveston, Texas, address, but police believe he is living in LaPlace, La., near his birthplace of Lutcher, La.
Davidson County authorities charged Shannon with stalking in the alleged Nov. 4 incident. Texas authorities charged him with forgery on April 13.
Contact staff writer Todd South at 423-757-6347 or tsouth@timesfreepress.com.
Todd South covers courts, poverty, technology, military and veterans for the Times Free Press. He has worked at the paper since 2008 and previously covered crime and safety in Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia. Todd’s hometown is Dodge City, Kan. He served five years in the U.S. Marine Corps and deployed to Iraq before returning to school for his journalism degree from the University of Georgia. Todd previously worked at the Anniston (Ala.) Star. Contact ...
And why exactly was this piece of filth allowed to walk the streets after the initial charges? Something is very wrong about that. Very wrong.
I'd say Judges don't always have the most current/relative information they should have and some lawyers "sugarcoat" the info THEY are presenting. SORRY SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS!
But you are right Chattanoogavol....He SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO GO FREE! He is SUPER dangerous!
Shoving a person under a car and then trying to run over her is brilliant. This guy can use his Genius Grant to pay his lawyer.
No contact orders, issued by the courts, are worthless with people like Mr.Ory... Miss Francis should not have to live in fear...I bet he draws probation once these cases are disposed of....Some good ole-fashion justice needs to be extended to Mr.Ory....
We used to go to church with that family, knew them from youth soccer and school functions. Almost 2 years ago, I remember learning of his arrest and seeing him at a grocery store. He looked like his world had ended. Some other coaches and I talked to him about his troubles, because we were concerned about him. He was always polite and well spoken. He never had an ill word to say about anyone. When he was my assistant soccer coach, I learned about his uncontrollable diabetes. So while we were talking to him about his troubles over a cup of coffee, he showed us his blood glucose readings (stored and time stamped on his meter) during the time of the alleged attack. We were in shock, because his blood sugars were so poor during the time of the alleged attack, that he obviously could not get out of bed, much less walk or travel to perform those alleged acts. He was living alone during the time, and he is lucky that he didn’t die in bed that morning. He would never accept invites to come drink some beers with us, because his diabetes would be out of control if he did. So, a jail inmate who receives “a deal” to say that this man bought and smoked crack and tried to have his wife harmed is very hard for me to believe. The crack smoking portion blows away everything I know about this guy. He even donated blood every time the church had a blood drive, and Blood Assurance screeners are trained to screen for addicts.
But if he violated an order of protection, then he must be charged. His wife was in Davidson County, and he was in Hixson and Georgia. The last I checked, neither locales are in Davidson County. His ex-wife was dismissed from 2 catholic school teaching positions, but I don’t know why.
Pathetic Reply! How much did he pay you to post this? How do you condone a man beating his wife with brass knuckles & trying to kill her for any reason whatsoever especially just so he could have all the monies, etc. for himself. By the way, His wife was not fired but her contract was not renewed because he was such a threat I'm sure the Grand Jury indicted him because he is such a "Choir Boy"!!
Any update on this story... Is this loser still running free?
He's still running free!! Thanks to a job well done by the police dept.
PLEASE keep us updated on this case!!! Thanks!
First of all who paid all of yall to say negative things? How many people on here actually know Shannon and his family? Prob not many. All I can say is not a one person was there when she was getting beat by who she "claims" was her ex-husband of years, yet wasn't sure if it was him... okay? NOT NOT NOT!! And if a woman was beaten by a man with brass knuckles... don't you think she would have had more than a broken nose and a left socket if she was being beat like she claims? I cannot speak of guilt or innocence because I was not there. But I can speak for the fact that this article has LOTS of assumed things that this man is charged on and not convicted of. For all we know she is a crazy woman that staged it all. Everyone has a right to a "fair" trial and all I can see is a one sided story from police or in country towns "friends of the family", and automatically he is def the monster??? I mean if that isn't a perfect senerio of stereotyping a man vs woman fight, I don't know what is. Maybe all of you should go sit next to God and get ya judge on. Every story has 3 sides... his, hers and the truth! NONE OF WHAT YOU HEAR, HALF OF WHAT YOU SEE should you believe... Just sayig. Hope when you all die that God isn't so quick to judge before yall stories are told!!
Well rayce123 he is about to get a fair trial, both in Texas & Tenn!! "Yall" have a good day now!!!
It is quite amazing that this scumbag woman is going to get away with this guy going to jail. She forgot to mention that Shannon never touched drugs, that she actually used to beat him and he never laid a hand on her, and that the guy in jail is actually setting Shannon up so that he can get out of jail earlier. You think that this only happens in the movies? It is unreal how people really believe things when they have no idea what really happened. It is a fact that she actually initially told police that she did not know who beat her because she could not tell, and now her scum family is forcing her to set up Shannon up because they don't like the guy because he is better than them. This girl should be in jail, and will burn in hell.
Thank you fitness14 you said it all!! I do know Shannon as well and that is the same things I think! I am happy you said it! This is such a BIG lump of crap and she will burn with her "DADDY" in hell forever and ever for taking a good man's life and children away from him. I hope and pray that she and her family get arrested for this set up and they pay the time in jail they are trying to put on him. She is a crazy woman and her family is even crazier it seems to me. To all you others on here talking of things you DO NOT KNOW... I hope no one ever tries to ruin your life!!! I wish the judical system would just put them all on lie detector test and let the pieces fall where they may!
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