Jackie Wayne BeanA Soddy-Daisy man has pleaded guilty to felony reckless endangerment and was sentenced to probation for his part in a deadly 2017 police chase in Grundy County, Tennessee.
Daniel ChandlerJackie Wayne Bean, 32 when arrested in December 2017, was originally charged with attempted first-degree murder, evading arrest, three counts of reckless endangerment and DUI after leading police on a chase that ended with a confrontation with Grundy County deputies on Dec. 23, 2017. Authorities said Bean pointed a gun at officers and drove his car toward Deputy Toby Holmes, who allegedly fired into the car, wounding Bean and killing 20-year-old passenger, Shelby Comer, of Beersheba Springs.
Bean sped away, sideswiped a patrol car then crashed a short distance away. He then fled on foot. Authorities who reached the crash scene then discovered Comer's body inside the car. Bean became the subject of a nine-hour manhunt, which ended the next morning when he was captured and charged in the incident.
In November 2018, Holmes was indicted in Comer's death on a charge of voluntary manslaughter. His case is still pending.
12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike TaylorOn Monday, Bean pleaded guilty to felony reckless endangerment in a plea agreement, according to 12th Judicial District Attorney General Mike Taylor.
"Bean pled to six years in prison, got credit for the time he served from December 2017 - which was about 17 months - and is to serve the balance [of the prison sentence] on probation," Taylor said Thursday. Bean is currently free on probation.
As part of the agreement, he will have to testify in an unrelated 2016 homicide case involving Daniel Chandler, who is accused of killing 26-year-old Samantha Kathleen Chandler. Her body was found by ATV riders in a remote wooded area on May 1, 2016, near Gruetli-Laager. Officials said she died of blunt-force trauma to the head.
Until plea details were formalized Monday, Bean's name had never been mentioned publicly in connection with the Chandler homicide case. Taylor said he couldn't discuss those connections with Chandler's trial just a few of months away.
Daniel Chandler, 29 at the time of his arrest in November 2017, faces a first-degree murder trial set to start Aug. 12.
Contact staff writer Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569. Follow him on Twitter @BenBenton or at www.facebook.com/benbenton1.