Widow Of Man Killed

By Speeding SUV

Fleeing From Officers

Brings Lawsuits For

Millions Of Dollars

By BILL JONES

Staff Writer

Wrongful-death and civil-rights-violation lawsuits seeking millions of dollars in damages have been filed here against the Greene County Sheriff's Department and the Greeneville Police Department in connection with a December 2007 police chase that resulted in a death.

The four separate lawsuits (two each against Greeneville and Greene County and their respective law-enforcement agencies) seek $5 million each in compensatory damages and $1 million each in punitive damages.

The lawsuits were filed Dec. 22, 2008, on behalf of Vonda Robinette, surviving spouse of the late John F. Robinette, of Mosheim, in U.S. District Court and Greene County Circuit Court in connection with a Dec. 23, 2007, high-speed pursuit along Baileyton Road.

The pursuit, according to lawsuit complaints, culminated in a fatal collision between a sport utility vehicle being pursued by a sheriff's deputy and a vehicle driven by John F. Robinette, who was 65 at the time of his death.

The lawsuit complaints also name as defendants the governments of Greeneville and Greene County, the various county and city law-enforcement officers alleged to have been involved in the pursuit, and Todd A. Mathes, the man who was driving the SUV that collided with Robinette's vehicle, fatally injuring Robinette.

Officers Named

Greene County Sheriff's Department officers listed as defendants in the lawsuit complaints are Sheriff Steve Burns, Sgt. Terry Rader, Deputies Jeff Caudill, Kevin Guinn, Nakia Tweed and five other unnamed deputies.

Defendants listed from the Greeneville Police Department are Chief Terry Cannon, Lt. Mike Crum, Capt. David Crum, officer Clifford Lawing and other unnamed supervisors and officers.

Reached for comment this morning, Sheriff Burns said he asks the public not to reach conclusions based solely on the allegations in the lawsuits.

"We will have an opportunity to respond at the appropriate time," he said.

"I believe the evidence will show that the man responsible for Mr. Robinette's death was Todd A. Mathes. He has stepped up and taken responsibility for his actions."

Greeneville Police Chief Terry Cannon, when reached comment this morning, said he had not yet seen copies of the lawsuit and declined comment as a result.

Mathes Pleaded Guilty

According to court records, Third Judicial District Criminal Court Judge John Dugger Jr. accepted guilty pleas from Todd Andrew Mathes, 37, of 1520 Nolichuckey Road, on Nov. 26, 2008, after Mathes entered a "best interest" plea to vehicular homicide.

In addition to vehicular homicide, court records indicate, Mathes pleaded guilty on Nov. 26 under a plea agreement to charges of theft over $1,000, theft under $500, and evading arrest.

Mathes agreed to a 10-year sentence on the vehicular homicide charge and a two-year sentence on the other charges. The sentences are to be served at the same time, resulting in an effective sentence of 10 years, according to court records.

Robinette had been delivering the Knoxville News-Sentinel newspaper at the time of the fatal collision.

"On Dec. 23, 2007, at approximately 5 a.m., a 1999 Nissan Pathfinder driven by Todd Mathes struck a passenger vehicle driven by Robinette, causing Mr. Robinette's death," Trooper Eric Wise wrote in the March arrest warrant.

Trooper Wise said in March that a blood test performed after the accident showed Mathes was intoxicated at the time of the collision.

"A blood test was done to determine the drug and alcohol content of his blood," Trooper Wise said. "His blood alcohol content came back at .14." That blood-alcohol level is nearly twice the legal limit of .08 under Tennessee law.

The fatal accident occurred at the end of a pursuit along Baileyton Road (Tennessee Highway 172) that began in Baileyton in the early morning hours of Dec. 23.

Deputy Sheriff Caudill said at the wreck scene that morning that he had begun pursuing the white Nissan Pathfinder from Baileyton after seeing it cross the Interstate 81 bridge on Baileyton Road at a high rate of speed.

Deputy Caudill said that during the pursuit, the fleeing SUV avoided two attempts by law-enforcement officers to stop it by flattening its tires with the use of "spike strips" on the road.

Caudill said that he did not actually see the collision between the fleeing Nissan Pathfinder and the Ford Taurus sedan driven by Robinette because a Greeneville Police Department vehicle was in front of his patrol car at the time.

But he said the fleeing SUV was apparently driving in the left lane of two-lane Baileyton Road at the time it broad-sided Robinette's green sedan, which may have been attempting to turn onto the West Andrew Johnson Highway access ramp.

The collision sent the green sedan into a grassy area off the left side of Baileyton Road near the access ramp.

The white Nissan Pathfinder went off the right side of Baileyton Road and came to rest against an embankment.

The lawsuits were filed by Greeneville attorney John T. Milburn Rogers and Knoxville attorney Wayne A. Ritchie II.