A man accused of murder in the April 2023 stabbing death of a Marion man was among those indicted by a Smyth County Grand jury in late March.
Police were alerted to the incident at 1821 Ashton Lane in Marion by the accused, now-33-year-old Jonathan Scott Simons, who told a 911 dispatcher he’d “stabbed the guy a couple of times,” a criminal complaint filed in the matter reads.
The complaint goes on to say that when Smyth County deputies arrived, they found 47-year-old Cristopher Ryan Poe lying on the floor in a pool of blood with multiple stab wounds.
An autopsy report indicates Poe had been stabbed 37 times in the head, neck and torso, causing injury to the skull, brain, spinal cord, jugular vein, left lung, liver and spleen. The report also notes 10 cut wounds to the arms and hands, as well as at least one bite mark to the upper left arm.
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Simons, who court records indicate gave multiple inconsistent statements during interviews, was arrested four days later on a first-degree murder charge and has been held without bond since his arrest. On March 26, grand jurors indicted him on the charge and a jury trial has been set for May 6.
The grand jury also handed down an indictment for 46-year-old Robert Allen Stump, who was accused in September of groping a 10-year-old girl. According to the complaint, Stump, a convicted sex offender, was at a neighbor’s home when he went into a room to remove a stink bug. While in the room, he touched the girl, the complaint states.
Saltville Officer N.S. Call wrote in the complaint that Stump “confessed to touching for sexual gratification” during an interview.
Convicted of sodomy in 2003, Stump was indicted on an aggravated sexual battery charge in the recent allegation. He’s scheduled to appear in circuit court in May.
March’s grand jury meeting also saw embezzlement indictments returned to several individuals in multiple cases.
A trio initially charged with the robbery of the Adwolfe Food Mart last July now face reduced charges after evidence indicated the robbery was an inside job.
The day of the incident, police reported that a man wearing a hooded camouflage jacket, gloves and a mask entered the store, showed a gun and demanded cash. During the investigation, however, deputies learned that the robbery had been planned with the store manager, 39-year-old Stefanie Lynn Getman, who was also noted as the clerk on duty during the robbery.
According to court documents, Getman, 33-year-old David Anthony Hicks and 38-year-old Robert Allen Wright came up with the idea to take money from the convenience store and make it look like a robbery. Getman reportedly provided information about the store’s operations, hours, till counts and camera angles and on July 16, 2023, Hicks walked into the store, produced a fake gun, demanded cash and Getman handed him a bag containing more than $4,000, according to the documents.
In light of the plan, the commonwealth’s attorney’s office later reduced the robbery and accessory to robbery charges to embezzlement. Getman faces an additional possession of methamphetamine charge stemming from a separate incident.
All three are scheduled for court appearances on April 24.
A Sugar Grove woman will also return to court to face an embezzlement charge following a 2023 conviction of the same. Grand jurors handed down the direct indictment for 41-year-old Kelly Anne Gotham. Few details are available in the case as Gotham was charged via direct indictment, but the indictment shows that Gotham is accused of embezzling money from a man between September 1, 2023 and October 21, 2023.
Less than a month before that time period, Gotham pleaded guilty to embezzling a large sum of money from Pro Erectors, an Atkins-based business where Gotham worked as an administrative assistant.
Arrested on April 4, Gotham is not yet scheduled for her first court appearance.
A Chilhowie woman was also indicted on an embezzlement charge after she was accused of taking more than $100,000 from her employer.
According to court records, a Marion Automotive Group manager reported the missing cash to the Marion Police Department last November. The manager said the money had gone missing over a period of about a year. Det. Brian Sexton wrote in a complaint that 45-year-old Angela Ann Harless admitted to taking money from her employer but was not sure how much. Sexton wrote that bank records showed $112,145.90 unaccounted for.
Released on bond in December, Harless is expected back in court on May 1.
The final two embezzlement indictments were handed down for 44-year-old Rebecca Dawn Burress, a Honaker woman accused of draining her stepfather’s bank accounts while he resided in nursing homes.
According to court documents in that case, the stepfather was placed into Valley Health & Rehab by his two stepdaughters, then his power of attorneys, the day after his wife’s death on Sept. 23, 2021 and was later transferred to an Abingdon facility. By October 2022, the document states, the man revoked the designations and appointed two new powers of attorney.
According to the documents, bills from both of the residential facilities went largely unpaid and the man attempted to place his Chilhowie home on the market to pay the outstanding balance. In doing so, he learned that the home had been used as collateral for a $24,000 loan taken out in July of that year reportedly intended to pay down the debt to the residential facilities. The document, dated last October, notes that only one payment of $4,100 had been made and that no payments had been made toward the loan. It also noted that funds in at least two bank accounts had been exhausted as were the man’s investments and stocks.
Not yet served with the indictments, a court date for Burress has not been set. Asked if Burress’ sister would also face charges, Commonwealth’s Attorney Phillip “Bucky” Blevins said he could not comment as the investigation was ongoing.
Others indicted during the March grand jury session include:
Robert Morely Bowden, 31, of Marion, was indicted on a malicious wounding charge.
Hunter Kaleb Carrier, 29, of Bristol, was indicted on a malicious wounding charge.
Caitlin Darlene Breedlove, 25, of Marion, was indicted on three counts abuse or neglect of a child.
Tori Alexis Funk, 25, of Rural Retreat, was indicted on three counts of assault and battery of a law enforcement officer.
Harold Ray Chism, 30, of Atkins, was indicted on charges of stalking and threatening bodily injury.
Concella Hoyt Nelson, 58, of Rural Retreat, was indicted on an animal cruelty charge.
Deandre James Murrell, 23, of Marion, was indicted on charges of making a false statement on a firearm purchase application and possession of a firearm while under a protective order.
Daniel Boyd Blackburn, 41, of Saltville, was indicted on a charge of possessing a firearm while under a protective order.
James Parker Jenkins, 22, of Marion, was indicted on a charge of possessing a firearm while under a protective order.
Dustin Ryan Dozier, 28, of Norfolk, was indicted on charges of grand larceny and grand larceny of a vehicle.
Randall Jeffrey Burke Jr., 33, of Saltville, was indicted on charges of grand larceny and statutory burglary.
James Leroy Stacy Jr., 41, of Sugar Grove, was indicted on charges of grand larceny, grand larceny of a firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Kelly Ann Gilbert, 47, of Chilhowie, was indicted on charges of grand larceny of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of methamphetamine.
Jason Ray Sizemore, 40, of Chilhowie, was indicted on a charge of grand larceny of a vehicle.
Austin Charles Blevins, 25, of Troutdale, was indicted on charges of grand larceny and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
John W. Colbert, 27, of Hot Springs, Ariz., was indicted on a statutory burglary charge.
Summer R. Colbert, 33, of Hot Springs, Ariz., was indicted on a statutory burglary charge.
Angela Jeanette Hocket, 30, of Atkins was indicted on charges of forging a legal document and uttering a forged legal document.
Timothy Lynn Crawford Jr., 30, of Saltville, was indicted on five counts obtaining money by false pretenses and two counts uttering a forged check.
Jodie Michelle Smith, 43, of Saltville, was indicted on three counts credit card theft and one count credit card fraud.
John Franklin “JR” Gross, 38, of Marion, was indicted on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs.
Wendi Michelle Cross, 46, of Marion, was indicted on two counts possession of methamphetamine and one count possession of fentanyl.
Jerry Clifford Young, 61, of Craigsville, W.Va., was indicted on charges of possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm while in possession of drugs.
Brittney Michelle Pickle, 34, of Rural Retreat, was indicted on two counts possession of methamphetamine and one count possession of fentanyl.
Adam Franklin Ashby, 51, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of LSD charge.
Michael Dustin Morris, 39, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Cody Richard Boardwine, 32, of Saltville, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Kristi Tuell Eller, 48, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Regina Ashley Clark, 40, of Blountville, Tenn., was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Carrie Ann Olinger, 36, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Paul Adam Wyatt, 39, of Atkins, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Robert Marcus Breedlove, 50, of Chilhowie, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Tabitha Merikristi White, 35, of Rock, W.Va., was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Eugene Holmes Cregger, 51, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Melissa Dawn Kell, 47, Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Jessica Lynn Snavely, 40, of Rural Retreat, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Destiny Nikole Couch, 24, of Abingdon, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Sarah Ashley Jones, 37, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Judy Hill, 30, of Atkins, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Anthony Curtis Turley, 45, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Joshua David Lamie, 37, of Marion, was indicted on a possession of methamphetamine charge.
Robert L. Arrington, 50, of Crossville, Tenn., was indicted on an eluding police charge.
Michael Maurice Barr, 51, of Marion, was indicted on an eluding police charge.
James Dean Prater, 26, of Abingdon, was indicted on charges of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and reckless driving.
Carl Barr, 66, of Chilhowie, was indicted on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
David Andrew Townsend, 36, of Meadowview, was indicted on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Michael Tad Milligan II, 37, of Marion, was indicted on a charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Those indicted will stand trial in Smyth County Circuit Court.