By Beth Burger
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
CHATANOOGA, Tenn. — A 25-year-old man remains in the Hamilton County Jail and faces three counts of attempted murder after officials said he fired a shot at three Chattanooga Police Department officers.
Robert Marlin Cole, of Chattanooga, was arrested Monday after he admitted to being at the scene of the Saturday shooting. The clothing he was wearing matched the description of the man who fired at police, according to arrest reports.
Cole, who turned himself in Monday, denied involvement in the shooting when interviewed by authorities. He claimed to be at a friend’s house across the street from a residence at 3113 Dee Drive in the Ridgewood Acres neighborhood, according to the report.
When police conducted interviews, they learned that Cole’s friend was not home because of power outages from the recent tornado.
Police were patrolling the neighborhood after outages Saturday when they encountered a group of men drinking beer and playing loud music. When officers went to make contact with the group, the men scattered. A man believed to be Cole ran away, the report stated.
He fled to the rear of a residence, where he brandished a gun and fired a round at pursuing officers, according to the arrest report.
One of the officers was with the Chattanooga Police Department while the other two were Chattanooga Housing Authority officers.
This isn’t Cole’s first brush with the law.
In June 2008, he was found guilty of facilitation to commit second-degree murder after charges of felony murder, attempted first-degree murder and two counts of attempted aggravated robbery were dismissed.
Cole received a suspended 10-year prison sentence and was placed on probation.
Cole’s bond was set at $150,000 in Saturday’s incident. His next court date is set for May 10 before Sessions Court Judge Ronald Durby.
Contact staff writer Beth Burger at bburger@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6406.
Copyright 2011 Chattanooga Publishing Company