Father describes phone call with son during lengthy police chase: 'He was psychotic'
Apr. 25—A Morgan County judge reduced the bond of a Tennessee man charged with attempting to elude police and deputies and ordered him to report to Vanderbilt Hospital for an assessment after the man's parents described a history of mental illness at a preliminary hearing this week.
Twenty-five-year-old Jackson Longfellow Stone, of Brentwood, on April 14 was charged with felony attempt to elude and booked into Morgan County Jail on a $100,000 bond, jail records show. His bond was elevated "due to multiple traffic violations, multiple police vehicles damaged, and drugs located in the vehicle," according to Hartselle PD.
Multiple law enforcement agencies chased Stone from Hartselle to Decatur that Sunday in a pursuit that began around 9:37 a.m. and lasted over 40 minutes, according to investigators. They said a Hartselle police vehicle and a Morgan County Sheriff's Office vehicle were struck and damaged by Stone during the chase. At one point, an MCSO vehicle ran over a spike strip deployed by another agency.
Stone's attorney, Robert Summerford, summoned Stone's parents before District Judge Shelly Waters on Tuesday. He asked Stone's father, Thomas Stone, if he spoke with his son during the pursuit.
"He did call me," Thomas Stone replied. "He was extremely paranoid. I said pull over. He was psychotic, no doubt."
"Does he have a history of psychotic episodes dating back to October 2020?" Summerford asked.
Thomas Stone answered in the affirmative. He said his son was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had spent time at Rolling Hills Hospital, a psychiatric and substance abuse treatment center for teens in Franklin, Tennessee.
Jackson Stone's parents told the court that their plan was to bring him to Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital after his release from jail. Summerford asked Stone's mother, Karen Stone, to describe the facility.
"Once he's no longer in active psychosis, he will go to a three-month program near Asheville specifically for young men," she said.
"So, they have a bed waiting for him?" Summerford asked.
"Yes," she said. The program is called Red Oak Recovery, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina.
Summerford then requested Stone's bond be lowered to somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000.
On cross-examination, Assistant District Attorney Ben Shiver had few questions. He asked if Stone would live with his parents in Brentwood after completing treatment, and they said yes.
"The state would be opposed to a reduction in bond due to the nature of the offense," Shiver argued. "There are few charges in our system that speak for themselves about an inability to follow lawful commands."
Shiver reiterated that several jurisdictions were involved in chasing Stone and that Stone is accused of striking law enforcement vehicles.
"My client was and is mentally ill," Summerford countered.
"I'm pretty blunt," Waters said. "This is my concern on releasing him on the bond you've asked for — he's had treatment before, which has clearly not stuck."
Waters decided to reduce Stone's bond to $40,000 and instructed his parents to take him straight from jail to Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital. She told Stone that if he fails to report for treatment, she could charge his parents with assisting in his escape. After Vanderbilt, as part of Stone's new bond conditions, Waters told him that he must complete the program at Red Oak Recovery.
"If you leave before you have finished, it is a violation of your probation," she told him. "You will reside at your parents' address (after Red Oak). You must report to Community Corrections after Red Oak and get on an ankle monitor."
Stone's parents appeared grateful for Waters' decision. She instructed them to purchase a change of clothes for their son as they waited for his release to be processed.
— david.gambino@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2438.
