ERNEST DAVIS,
Charge Count (Charges (1))
. Crime: Desc: AGGRAVATED ASSAULT (F) {UCR: 13A} Bond: $150000.00A Franklin County, Tenn., deer hunter was recovering at Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga after being shot Tuesday by a resident south of the town of Huntland.
Justin D. Partin, of Winchester, was shot in the lower abdomen while trying to retrieve a deer he killed in the area of Tally Top Trail, Franklin County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Chris Guess said.
The sheriff's office was notified of the incident through a "shots fired" call at about 10:30 p.m. CDT, Guess said. Authorities determined the shooting took place earlier.
With the conclusion of the initial investigation, 57-year-old Ernest Davis, a resident of Francisco Road in Huntland, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Davis was freed Wednesday afternoon on a $150,000 bond, Guess said. The weapon Davis reportedly used was a .45-caliber pistol, he said.
Much of the area to the southeast of Davis' home is open pasture and woodland with a wide dirt path that goes east from Francisco Road up through the forest into the mountains. There are a couple of other homes in the area south of Davis' home, according to local maps.
Guess said Davis, whose home is on Francisco Road, apparently was staying in a hunting cabin on the mountain southeast from his house and near where Partin was hunting. Trails in the area crisscross the mountain top, some leading south toward the Alabama state line.
Guess said there are several hunting cabins on the mountaintop.
Partin, meanwhile, continues to recover at Erlanger, Guess said. His condition is unknown, but Guess said that, considering his injury and the caliber of the bullet, Partin might have to spend a few more days in the hospital before he is released.