Meigs County authorities investigate Mitchell Delashmitt shooting

photo Mitchell Delashmitt
Arkansas-LSU Live Blog

Authorities in Meigs County are probing a shooting in the Cottonport Community that left one man critically injured Tuesday evening.

Mitchell Delashmitt was shot after he went to the home of Wendell Beaty at 1505 Holly Glenn Road looking for someone and went inside where an apparent disagreement led to violence, Sheriff Jackie Melton said in a news release.

"Beaty allowed Delashmitt to enter the home and sometime thereafter an altercation occurred and Delashmitt was shot once in the upper torso with a .38-caliber revolver," Melton said.

Delashmitt was flown to Erlanger Hospital in Chattanooga for treatment. He was listed in critical condition, the sheriff said.

Melton could not be reached for further comment this morning. Sheriff's Office staff said he was out of town.

Delashmitt last made headlines in 2003 when he was accused of raping and murdering his 14-month-old daughter, Angel Mae Delashmitt, who died from the alleged assault, according to newspaper archives.

Evidence from the medical examiner in the case, Dr. Ron Toolsie, came into question and a confession was tossed out of court, and Delashmitt's rape charge was dismissed. He finally pleaded guilty in 2010 to negligent homicide and child neglect that netted him a five-year sentence with credit for three-and-a-half years already served. He was ordered to serve the remainder of that sentence on probation, according to archives.

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