Two Haywood County defendants lost their freedom in a hurry on Tuesday, when a local judge revoked their bonds and ordered them held without bail while prosecutors press ahead with their cases.
According to prosecutors, one man, Jeremy Tyus, is under indictment on charges that include rape, assault on an officer and retaliation for a past action, and has also been arrested on an aggravated assault count. The other, Shelton Rice, who already has a domestic assault conviction on his record, now faces aggravated assault and weapons-related allegations. The rulings sharply raise the stakes in both cases and keep the men locked up as the district attorney's office moves forward.
Office of the District Attorney General, 28th Judicial District - press release
In a post from the Office of the District Attorney General, 28th Judicial District, District Attorney Frederick H. Agee said his office will continue asking courts to revoke bonds "to protect Crockett, Gibson, and Haywood counties." The office said both men were taken back into custody after the revocation hearings and will be held without bond until their cases are resolved. Prosecutors did not spell out every detail behind the decisions, but said the hearings followed reviews of the defendants' behavior while they were out on release.
How bond revocation works in Tennessee
Tennessee law lets judges pull the plug on pretrial release when a defendant violates bond conditions or picks up a new charge while already out on bond. As outlined on Justia, Tennessee Code section 40-11-141 allows a court to revoke a defendant's bond and order that person held without bail pending trial, in the interest of protecting victims and the public. Defense attorneys can push back and ask for reconsideration, but the statute gives judges a clear legal path to keep defendants locked up if they are viewed as dangerous or disruptive.
Charges and next dates
The district attorney's office said in its post that Tyus has been indicted on counts including rape, assault on an officer and retaliation for a past action, and that authorities also arrested him on an aggravated assault charge. His trial is listed in the release for October 12, 2026. Rice, according to the same release, previously was convicted of domestic assault and now faces aggravated assault and a felon-in-possession weapons charge. Both men were taken into custody after the hearings, and the DA's office said it intends to keep pushing to have them held without bond while the cases move toward trial.
Local court and next steps
The bond-revocation hearings took place in Haywood County Circuit Court before Judge Clayburn Peeples, who has long served on the local bench, according to the Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts. The biographical listing places Peeples at the Haywood County Justice Complex. Court clerks will set the next court dates, and the DA's office said it will continue seeking bond revocations where it believes they are needed to prevent further risk to victims or the wider community.
Legal implications
When a judge revokes bond, a defendant loses pretrial release and can stay in jail until trial. Prosecutors in these cases said they sought that step to prevent potential new harm or interference with the process. Defendants can ask the court to revisit the decision and may seek review from higher courts, but judges typically weigh public safety and the likelihood that the defendant will show up for trial before changing course. For the statute cited in the Haywood County actions, see Tennessee Code section 40-11-141 on Justia.
