Fults to serve 195 days for hitting officer

By DUANE SHERRILL / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

HUTCHINS

Slugging a policewoman in the courtroom will cost a local man 195 days behind bars and another eight years on probation.

The suspect, Ricky Fults, entered guilty pleas before Circuit Court Judge Charles Haston to charges of retaliation for past actions and theft. He was directed to serve 195 days of an eight-year sentence for the combination of offenses.

The incident occurred last November as Fults was appearing for preliminary hearing on theft charges in General Sessions Court. According to the victim, McMinnville Police Investigator Nichole Hutchins, she was sitting in the rear of the courtroom when Fults walked behind her on his way back to the holding cell.

At that point, Fults struck Hutchins in the back of her head with his fist. The assault left knots on her head and gave her a headache. Hutchins was the officer who arrested Fults on the theft charges.

The assault was witnessed by several in the courtroom, including Judge Larry Ross.