A 59-year-old man who was accused of killing his lover last year but then released because of a lack of evidence was arrested Tuesday on a slew of unrelated charges.
Bruce Stevenson was charged Tuesday with aggravated assault, two counts of vandalism, two counts of reckless endangerment, unlawful carrying of a weapon and driving on a revoked license.
Bruce StevensonWitnesses told police that Stevenson threw a brick through the front window of a home of a woman he once had a relationship around 11 p.m. on Dec. 19. She told police he then fired at least three shots outside the home on Milne Street, according to Stevenson's affidavit.
Stevenson later returned around 10 p.m. on New Year's Eve behind the wheel of a white Cadillac and opened fire on the same home, two other men told police. Officers found 10 bullet holes in the door to the house and the two men who were inside identified Stevenson as the shooter, according to his affidavit.
Stevenson's total bond was set at $218,000 and he was booked into the Hamilton County Jail.
Tuesday's arrest was not related to the 2015 homicide case in which Stevenson was charged.
In June 2015, Stevenson was arrested in the death of 56-year-old Rosa Chatman, who was found severely beaten with her throat cut in her College Hill Courts apartment on April 15.
When he was arrested, Chattanooga police said Stevenson had been in an on-again, off-again relationship with Chatman for 20 years and the pair had children together. Police said Stevenson lied about his contact with Chatman in the days surrounding her death and that there was a history of domestic violence between the two.
But in July, a judge dismissed the criminal homicide and aggravated assault charges against Stevenson after District Attorney Neal Pinkston's office said there was not enough evidence to pursue the case.
Assistant District Attorney Lance Pope told Judge Lila Statom at the time Stevenson's arrest was based on circumstantial evidence that had not "developed favorably for the state" in the three weeks since the arrest.
Pope said Stevenson could be charged again with the crime in the future.
He was not re-charged with criminal homicide in Tuesday's arrest, which sprung from an unrelated incident.
Police Chief Fred Fletcher said he believes Stevenson is and has been a danger to the community.
"We have believed since the 2015 murder investigation that this individual is a threat to our community," he said. "We are saddened to see that this violence occurred."
Stevenson has a lengthy criminal history in Hamilton County.
He is a registered sex offender in Tennessee and was convicted of two counts of rape in 1990. He is classified as an active, violent offender.
He also was charged with aggravated rape and aggravated kidnapping in Hamilton County in 1990. He pleaded guilty to rape and kidnapping and was sentenced to five years for the kidnapping and eight years for the rape.
In 1998, a jury found him guilty of attempted second-degree murder for trying to kill his girlfriend. The length of his sentence in that case was not immediately available on Tuesday.
And in 2007, police arrested Stevenson for burning a woman's house down. He was charged with arson, aggravated burglary, theft and vandalism, but all charges were dismissed.
Stevenson also was convicted of violating the sex offender registry in 2008 and sentenced to two years.
Contact staff writer Shelly Bradbury at 423-757-6525 or sbradbury@timesfreepress.com with tips or story ideas. Follow @ShellyBradbury.