s proceedings

Differences in the testimonies of a Douglas County Sheriff’s officer and a witness for a Baldwin shooting suspect Tuesday stirred the anger of the defense attorney, resulting in a 30-minute trial delay and a private conference in the judge’s office.

The dispute came to light when Sheriff’s Lt. Ken Massey told a district court jury that defense witness Steve Hatcher initially told him the night of Oct. 14, 2001, that he did not see anything concerning the shooting incident.

“I asked him if he saw anything, and he said he did not,” Massey told Assistant Dist. Atty. Dan Dunbar.

Massey’s testimony came only a couple of hours after Hatcher had testified in court that he saw a woman in suspect Stephen Meeker’s house that night, screaming and threatening Meeker’s wife, Erin Meeker. Hatcher identified the woman as Kerry Chalmers, who lived next door to Meeker in the 1200 block of Bison Court in Baldwin.

“She was making threats,” Hatcher said of Chalmers during his testimony Tuesday morning. “She was saying she was going to drag her ass outside, kick it and kill her.”

Meeker, 34, is being tried for aggravated battery, aggravated assault and attempted aggravated battery. He allegedly shot Steve Swafford, 31, Lawrence, Chalmer’s boyfriend.

Meeker claims he shot Swafford in self defense after Swafford ran at him, cursing, in the front yard. The shooting occurred after Meeker, armed with a gun and naked after getting out of the shower, ordered Chalmers out of his house and followed her to the front door.

The Meekers and Chalmers had a long-running neighborhood dispute, according to trial testimony.

During Massey’s testimony, Meeker’s attorney, Jim Rumsey, pointedly asked Massey if he had suddenly recalled the Oct. 14 conversation with Hatcher about Tuesday’s lunch break. Massey countered by saying he told Rumsey about the Hatcher conversation prior to a preliminary hearing in December.

Rumsey denied having that conversation with Massey and asked Judge Jack Murphy to allow him to take the witness stand and say so.

Murphy called for a break and requested Rumsey and Dunbar to meet with him in his chambers.

About 30 minutes later, the trial resumed and Rumsey did not take the witness stand. Rumsey asked Massey to find notes from his Oct. 14 investigation and bring them to court today.

Hatcher, recalled to testify by Rumsey, said that on the night of Oct. 14 after the shooting he approached Massey for permission to get the Meekers’ dogs out of their house and bring them to his house. Hatcher said Massey did not ask him if he saw anything concerning the shooting.

Later on Oct. 14, Hatcher gave a statement to Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Johnson that was similar to his court testimony Tuesday.

Closing arguments are expected to be given today, and the jury will begin deliberations.