 |
 |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|
|
|
|
State v. Combs9/25/2002
that she missed more church services because she worked in the nursery so frequently.
Regarding Esther's two attempts to run away, Joseph gave the following explanations: The first incident followed an argument that occurred between Joseph and his wife. Esther overheard the argument, misunderstood it, and then decided to take a walk. During her walk, she became confused as to her whereabouts. She noticed a little store on the roadway and headed for it, but she became nervous when she saw a police car pull over. Hence, she ducked into the bathroom and locked the door. Meanwhile, the Combs family was searching everywhere for her. Within a few minutes of her departure, they realized she was gone. Joseph said that he was "not comfortable" with the idea of Esther being outside because it was raining and rather windy that evening. When the police reported that they had found her, Joseph picked her up. The second runaway incident began with Esther hearing noises during her shift in the church nursery. Esther became frightened and went outside to investigate. Once outside, she thought someone was chasing her, so she started running. The next thing she knew, she woke up on Highway 421. She began walking along the road. A pastor and his wife from Mountain City picked her up and tried to help her. She would not tell them who she was, so they turned her over to the local authorities. The Combs family learned she had been found at approximately 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. the next morning and then brought her home.
Joseph testified that on February 17, 1997, the day before Esther was taken to the hospital, the Combs children had played vigorously all day. Esther was fine, but tired. When evening came, some of the children did not feel well. Everyone went to bed. The next morning, David alerted he and Evangeline that Esther was having "some kind of seizure or something." She was in the bathroom, "kinda jerking around." Cindy dialed 911. When it appeared as though she stopped breathing a few times, and the emergency personnel had not arrived, Joseph was afraid she would die any second. The ambulance finally arrived, however, and transported her to the hospital. The rest of the family followed in a car.
The following morning, Detective Debbie Richmond-McCauley questioned Joseph in an attempt to determine how Esther had become sick. Joseph testified that McCauley's questions concerned only Esther's then-present condition. She did not ask him about the scars on Esther's body and Joseph never told her that Esther was "clumsy" and "fell a lot." He also denied that he was ever asked to give or sign a statement. Joseph claimed that he visited Esther in the hospital at every opportunity and that he and Esther had a "close" relationship. They discussed many personal matters and he loved her. He thought that she also loved him. Consequently, he was "bewildered" by the accusations against him.
Joseph recalled when the Bristol Fire Department came to the EBC fellowship hall in March 1997. A day or two later, Cindy, Peter and Sarah Combs (the minor children) were removed from the custody of the Combs for approximately one year. In June 1997, the family moved to a place just outside of Bristol. In October 1997, Esther left town. She stayed with Sonja Meadows for a short time, and then moved to South Carolina. There, she stayed with Reverend Carpenter's family. Joseph testified that he was present when Esther left town. He claimed that Esther was "scared" and "frustrated" by the police driving by the Combs residence and the unfamiliar people dropping by their home. Esther knew that Joseph had been summoned to go to court. She wanted to leave the area and asked him to assist her. Joseph agreed to do so.
Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 Tennessee Personal Injury Attorneys
Personal Injury Lawyers
|
| |
to fill out a simple form to connect to Personal Injury Lawyers in your area.
|
|