Jeff StylesProsecutors on Thursday dismissed vandalism and aggravated assault charges filed against a longtime Chattanooga radio host.
Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkston said he would not present Jeff Styles’ criminal allegations to a grand jury and try to secure an indictment. Prosecutors can and do dismiss charges without presenting them to a grand jury.
“After reviewing the case file and the recording of the preliminary hearing the DA found insufficient evidence to meet the burden of proof [beyond a reasonable doubt],” his spokeswoman, Melydia Clewell, wrote in an email.
Police said Styles, a popular WGOW host, swung a tomahawk into driver Nickolas Bullington’s window while they were stopped at the intersection of Highway 153 and Grubb Road around 4 p.m. on June 15.
Police said Bullington shot Styles in the hand with a pistol and then left to find a safe place to call authorities. Bullington had seen Styles driving aggressively on Highway 27 beforehand, police said, and a witness backed up his account.