A 55-year-old Dunlap woman angered by her family’s objections to her having a taser in their home became violent and attacked relatives, shoving her father out of his wheelchair and attacking the niece who tried to defend the elderly man, authorities said.
According to an affidavit filed in General Sessions Court by Deputy Jason Kilgore of the Sequatchie County Sheriff’s Department, Margurite Wheeler also was combative while officers investigated the incident and “threatened to fight” the officer who handcuffed her.
As a result of that incident Ms.
Wheeler faces multiple charges, including aggravated assault, domestic assault and retaliation and threats against law enforcement officers.
In addition, more charges were added later, according to court records. The second offense occurred after Ms. Wheeler was released on bond following her original arrest, affidavits show, she returned to 956 Wheeler Road where the original dispute occurred and refused to leave.
Summoned to the Wheeler house for the second time, according to affidavits filed in general sessions court, sheriff’s department officers “found defendant inside the house and the rest of the family outside on the porch.”
She was then arrested for violating a restraining order and an order of protection.
Deputy Lee Spain re-arrested Ms. Wheeler and drove her back to Sequatchie County Justice Center, he noted in a report on the incident.
“Defendant during transport used vulgar language and kept hitting partition in the patrol car. Defendant stated that if she had a gun “she would put it to his head and pull the trigger,” the deputy reported.
Following the original dispute between Ms. Wheeler and her relatives, officers who responded to the report of domestic abuse said they were told that Ms. Wheeler was a renter at the property.
They said the angry woman complained that her relatives “were not letting her leave the house and had been grabbing onto her to keep her from leaving,” Deputy Kilgore said in his report. “(W)hile she was telling me this she was yelling and made the statement that she had a little taser and that’s what they were after and were trying to take it away from her.”
Family members confirmed that the dispute began over the taser, according to the affidavit.
“I gathered a statement from her sister, Jane Mauldin, and she said that her brother Burton had simply asked (Ms. Wheeler) about the laser and was telling her she didn’t need to have it on the property,” Deputy Kilgore wrote. “That’s when (Ms. Wheeler) became angry and combative.”
According to her sister, the deputy noted, Ms. Wheeler began slamming things and threatening everyone in the house.
“She then shoved her father, Wade Wheeler, down the o the floor from his wheelchair . . . causing him to cut his arm open,” he continued. “Margurite’s niece, Ansley (Steinhice) then proceeded to get Margurite off of Wade.”
The niece next attempted to move Ms. Wheeler to another room, the officer said Mrs. Mauldin reported.
“Margurite started to grab at her face, then . . . grabbed a chair and hit Ansley with it, then proceeded to grab her neck and squeeze,” Deputy Kilgore noted in his report.