Francisco Javier Torres-Lopez, 405 Garfield St. in Newbern, pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to two charges of vehicular assault. He was given a suspended three-year sentence and placed on unsupervised probation in each count.

District Attorney General Phil Bivens explained that Torres-Lopez is being deported. He has been in the Dyer County Jail since the wreck on May 11.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Burns said Torres-Lopez drank six beers and didn't remember running a red light at the intersection of Wade Hampton and the U.S. Highway 51 Bypass in Dyersburg. His truck collided with a car driven by Jerry L. Heathcott of Dyersburg. Heathcott and his wife, Rhonda Heathcott, were taken to The Regional Medical Center in Memphis with serious injuries.

A passenger in Torres-Lopez's truck also was injured, but he gave law enforcement officers a false name. Because of the fake identification, a third vehicular assault charge was dismissed.

Burns said Torres-Lopez failed field sobriety tests and registered 0.22 on a blood alcohol test. A reading of 0.08 is considered intoxicated in Tennessee.

Bivens said the Heathcotts had approved the plea arrangement.

After being sentenced, Torres-Lopez was allowed to make a statement through a Spanish-language interpreter. He said: "I only ask forgiveness for what I have done."

In other circuit court action on Oct. 14:

* Robert John Mathis, 48, 604 Revell Road, Apartment 1, pleaded guilty to charges of extortion and coercion of a witness. He was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge, with the terms being served concurrently. Mathis was accused of making an alleged juvenile rape victim recant her statement against his son. Mathis expected to receive $2,000 from another relative in exchange for the alleged victims' revised statement.

* Robert Curtis Cahill Jr., 48, 211 First St., pleaded guilty to selling less than half a gram of cocaine and selling morphine. He was sentenced to 4.5 years for each charge and is to serve the terms concurrently with each other. He also was fined $3,000 in each charge, but the fines were suspended. He was ordered to pay $90 restitution to the Dyer County Sheriff's Department Drug Fund.

Cahill also faced a probation violation on a previous methamphetamine charge. He agreed to a reinstatement of his original three-year sentence. His new sentences are to be served consecutively to the prior sentence.

* Carl Stephen Clarke, 19, 408 Pate, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated robbery and felony failure to appear. He was sentenced to three years in prison on the first charge and one year in prison on the second charge. The terms are to be served consecutively. Clarke was accused of using a handgun to rob a man sitting on his front porch in March.

* Zacchaues F. Macklin, 18, 902 Vernon, pleaded guilty to possession of more than half a gram of cocaine with intent to sell. He was sentenced to a year in jail followed by seven years in a community corrections program. He also was fined $2,000.

* Ronnie Winbush, 51, 135 Lafayette in Ripley, entered a best-interest plea on a failure to appear charge. He was given a suspended four-year sentence and placed on supervised probation for the same period. The sentence is to be served consecutively with a prior sentence.

* Christy Renee Jones, 26, 236 1st St., was granted pretrial diversion on a charge of fraudulent use of a credit card in an amount exceeding $1,000. She was placed on supervised probation for two years and ordered to pay $1,700 restitution and $649.50 in court costs. Jones was accused of stealing a co-worker's credit cards and using them at Wal-Mart in April.

An unrelated charge of theft of property less than $500 was not prosecuted. In that case, she was accused of taking a woman's purse from a shopping cart on the Wal-Mart parking lot in March.

* A cocaine selling charge was not prosecuted against Debra Parrish, who died in a Sept. 21 wreck.

* Two charges of selling cocaine were not prosecuted against Anthony Pollard, address unavailable. His attorney, Danny Goodman, said there would be a problem getting the evidence introduced at trial.

* Charges of fraudulently using a credit card were not prosecuted against Stephanie Pratt, 22, 824 Southview Cove. A co-defendant has admitted guilt in that case.

In addition, a circuit court jury on Oct. 15 found Crystal D. Green, 30, 516 Parks St. in Newbern, not guilty of theft of property in excess of $1,000. She had been accused of taking about $2,000 from her employer, Food Rite No. 52 in Newbern, after a payroll deposit came up short.

In other recent court news, a charge of promoting the manufacture of methamphetamines was not prosecuted Sept. 29 against Jessie Southerland, address unavailable.