Mike & Brandi weeks before the shooting
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I held her for a moment and then noticed Laxton with someone else next to a truck by the Helicopter Hanger where Laxton, the shooter had been. I knew Dude was still in the area but was not sure where. I had to find him before they shot him as well.
I did not see Laxton holding the rifle at this point so I went down the hill to where he and the other man were. I then noticed the other man had a gun in his hand and I told him to put it down. Then I asked, “where is my other dog and where was Laxtons gun?” I told him I was making a citizens arrest. I then looked in the open window of the truck for the rifle. I saw no rifle but did see a hand gun holster. As I confiscated it I noticed the two men approaching me. Now, knowing they both likely had hand guns, I told them to stop. I said you are threatening me and to take your hands out of your pockets. As they advanced I took my hand gun from the holster and pointed it at the ground. They stopped their advance. I repeated, where are your guns? The man with the maroon shirt that read helicopter wing said that he worked there, that his gun was in his pocket and that my dog went that away, pointing to the north in the direction of my property. This man was later identified by the Tipton County Sheriff’s Department as Nick King.
Because they refused to remove their hands from their pants where they were holding guns and because they refused to get rid of their guns, I was in fear that they might shoot at me at any monent. So I backed to the rear of the truck to take cover. There I noticed the assault rifle Laxton had been shooting laying in the back. As I confiscated the rifle, Laxton and King ran to the rear of the hanger. I ran back to Brandi and took her back to our property.
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While crossing our field Pat called and said she was now at the house and needed help. With Brandi’s coat full of water from the pond she was heavier than I could run with so I laid her under a pine tree and ran to help Pat. I called a friend and family members to come over to be witnesses. Why, because three years earlier another James Wells and Brent Seay, shot and killed another one of our dogs just because she walked on their property. And when I called the deputies to arrest Wells and Seay, the deputies allowed Brent Seay to attack me. When I defended myself, deputy Lang assaulted me and would not arrest Wells or Seay for shooting our dog.
It appears that a few people who live around us have conspired to shot and kill our dogs if they see them out and the Sheriff’s department covers for them. Just like when Laxton Shot Brandi and then hid his rifle, Seay also hid his rifle. They apparently have been told to do this when they shoot at us or our dogs.
My past experience with these people leads me to believe they are not afraid of our dogs, but they are just mad we bought our property and they did not.
Neither we nor our dogs have done anything to these people and their hostile and atacks against us and our dogs is unjustified.
Our animals are very gentle and have never tried to harm anyone.
On September 28, 2007, The Covington Leader published a libelous and deceptive article full of lies and distortion in an apparent effort to demonize me and my family. Their reference to my run for County Executive office only proves their intent to assassinate my character and reputation in the community prior to a potential election.
The fact that I called the Covington Leader to give Greg Little a statement two days before this article was released and he not returning my call indicates he is not interested in getting both side of this issue.
The fact that the arresting officer stated he was charging and arresting me without bond at the direction of General Sessions Court Judge William Peeler indicates a clear violation of due process. this Judge violated the cannon of ethics because he latter refused to recuse himself from hearing the probable cause hearing. This is typical of a back woods mafia, corrupt system. This is why Tpton County Sufers from a lack of industry and business that would otherwise move the the county. But then they like it that way. They want every one beholding to their power base.
The fact that there was a rushed investigation that night, that the officers were not paying attention to what I was telling them, that they did not want to see Brandi and that they did not even let my wife tell them what she saw is a clear indication they did not want to do anything that would mess up their frame of me. Even though the officers did not witness anything, they had their minds made up an did not want to be confused with facts. If only Jeffrey Dalmer had been a friend of the Tipton County Executive and the Tipton County Sherrifs department like Laxton, he might still be free to kill his neighbors and their pets today.
While I was being transported to the jail the officer asked where had I left Brandi. I said I would have to show him. Then after I was booked in the jail the officer told the jailers to, “give him back his stuff we have to take him back to look for the dog.” I asked, “was I un-arrested?” And he said “kind of”. He then took me back to my property and I took them to where I had laid Brandi under a pine tree. I had marked the tree with a broken branch. However, she was not there. And while the officers were supposed to be looking for Brandi, one of the officers was heard saying, “It would be better if it rained.” Rain would actually distroy evidance. But then, that was what they were hoping for.
Then, one officer said “I found her”. Someone then said it was not her. That it was "a possum". However, he was in the exact spot where I found her three days later. And after he said it was a possum I started to walk over to that area where the officer said “I found her” and Inspector Richard Nessey, said that we had looked long enough and that we had to leave. He called off the search and forced everyone to leave the field. I was then taken back to jail.
When I found Brandi, I took her to our veterinarian and he took X-rays. I then took Brandi to Nashville for a necropsy. The medical examiner there identified multiple bullet fragments on the X-ray in her and that she had not been shot in the front area. The doctor reported Brandi had on a collar with a rabies tag and a Home Again Companion Animal Retrieval System tag. They even recovered Brandi’s metal sutures from where she had been spayed at the age of one. Brandi would have been 7 years old in April.
Several factors lead me to believe this was not a botched investigation but a cover up.
Including:
The fact that on Thursday, September 27, the Investigator Richard Nessey stated he had no statement from me in spite of the fact one was given to the Deputies that night, nor did Inspector Nessey ever ask me for a statement that night when he met me. Then, when I informed Investigator Nessey I had found Brandi, he did not want to come out and take photos of the scene where she lay or her wounds before I took her to the Vet. It was clear, they had made up their mind and did not want to see any evidence that might mess up their case against me.
The fact that I was arrested for defending my family after Laxton had killed Brandi, shot at me, threatened me and recklessly endangered my wife by shooting onto our property where she was standing, as well as the rest of the people living in the area by shooting over 30 rounds into the air at my property and at my dogs and he was never charged is a clear indication of the corrupt old boy network in action.
According to the article in the Covington Leader, Laxton even stated he shot into the “uninhabited wooded area.” That would be the front of our property where just beyond the trees is our home and there are several other homes in this area. There are over 80 homes with a half mile of where he was shooting. The listed deadly range of the ammo he shot is 1.5 miles. If he was shooting from his yard as he claimed, he would have had to shoot across two other neighbors’ properties to reach our property.
Would this not be reckless endangerment? When he say me and continued to shoot in my dirrection, was that not aggrivated assault.
The fact is, I never shot at anyone nor did I even touch anyone. I never got closer than 30 feet of them. Contrary to the police report I did not point my gun at their face or tell them to get on their knees. In fact, Laxtons and Kings own hand written reports say nothing about having a gun pointed at their face nor having been told to get on their knees. Don't you think they would have remembered that? Of course they would have. The fact is those thing never happened. Those were fabricated by the officer to justify the arrest and for the purposes of drama in the News Paper head lines. It soulds more like something someone saw in a hollywood movie.
The fact is, I was denied Bond and forced to stay in jail for a day. The fact that my bond was set high, ($5000.00). A bond is based on flight risk and the fact is, I am not a flight risk. I am a local land and business owner and involved in bettering the community. I recall hearing about someone recently that shot a person in the head in the county and was given the same $5000.00 bond without delay and they were out of jail in a few hours.
The fact that the article in the paper stated this was their property is a lie. The fact is, Laxton lives across the street from this property and King works there as an employee of the helicopter wing. Neither of these two men live at nor own the property where Laxton shot at me an Killed Brandi. The owner is Allen Burnett. Also, what is a member of the helicopter wing doing with a hand gun? Did either of these two men have the permission of Mr. Burnett to be armed at his property and place of business? And more importantly, did they have a carry permit to legally go armed in the community? NO.
I don’t believe Laxton who said our pets walked in his yard. But even if they did, why did he pursue them off his property. He said he shot at them and that they ran away but then he went after them. He was the aggressor. Did he use lethal force to scare away dogs. No, his intent was to kill them.
His conduct was extreme and unjustified under any circumstance.
What are they going to do next?
The article states that, “Deputies went to Parsons’ house and found him at home, where they placed him under arrest on the four felony counts”. That statement published by The Covington Leader is another lie. The fact is I called the Deputy’s via a friend who was at the street and I informed them I was bringing them the assault rifle I had confiscated. The arrest occurred in the street and not on our property. They never came to our home.
Again, such deceptive reporting of these events by The Covington Leader is malicious and libelous on their face. I call for every concerned citizen and pet owner to speak out and stand with us against this cover-up of the brutal slaughter of our innocent girl Brandi and these unjust charges against me. This unprovoked attack against our family is an orchestrated criminal attack against all the people of Tipton County.
