State Drops Charges Against Two Meth Defendants



Two of 11 people arrested in late February during two meth lab busts conducted by the Cannon County Sheriff’s Department had the charges against them dismissed in Cannon County General Sessions Court on Tuesday, April 24.

The state decided to drop the charges against Jeremy Hinkle and David Nipper. Hinkle was charged with Initiating The Process To Manufacture Methamphetamine and Nipper was charged with Initiating The Process To Manufacture Methamphetamine and Maintaining A Dwelling To Manufacture Methamphetamine.

Eight other defendants waived their right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday and had their cases bound over to the May 25 meeting of the Cannon County Grand Jury.

However, attorneys representing each of those eight defendants indicated they had reached plea agreements with the state and their clients will enter either guilty or best interest pleas to some or all of the charges against them in Cannon County Circuit Court on May 24.

Those eight, and the charges against them, include:

Justin T. Barrett - Initiating The Process, Maintaining A Dwelling.

Mary Ann Barrett - Initiating The Process, Maintaining A Dwelling.

Jerry Ray Gunter – Initiating The Process, Maintaining A Dwelling, Driving While License Suspended, Registration Violation, Financial Responsibility. The state has agreed to drop the last three charges against Gunter, which stem from a separate incident.

David William McPeak – Initiating The Process, Manufacture Of Methamphetamine, Possession Of Schedule II Narcotic, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia.

Donna Machelle McPeak - Initiating The Process, Manufacture Of Methamphetamine, Possession Of Schedule II Narcotic, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, Unlawful Carrying Of A Firearm.

Tiffany N. Cross-Mullins – Manufacture Of Methamphetamine, Initiating The Process, Possession Of Schedule II Narcotics, Possession Of Drug Paraphernalia, VOP. She pled guilty to the VOP charge Tuesday and Judge Susan Melton ordered her to serve six months in the Cannon County Jail and extended her probation for four months.

Cody J. Shaffer – Initiating The Process, Maintaining A Dwelling.

Cynthia Denise Thomas – Initiating The Process, Maintaining A Dwelling.

The 11th person arrested during the course of the two busts, Amy Tribble, has apparently fled prosecution and has an active warrant for her arrest.