Hacker Found Guilty On Charges Of Aggravated Assault, Driving Under The Influence

Steven Hacker was found guilty of aggravated assault and two counts of driving under the influence in Judge Don Poole’s courtroom on Thursday night.

After three days of testimony and a short deliberation, the jury found the defendant not guilty on charges of violation of traffic control device, violation of registration law, and evading arrest. Judge Poole removed the charge of possession of drug paraphernalia because of lack of evidence. He allowed Hacker stay out of jail on his bond.

During witness testimony, officers said they saw a knife in Hacker’s hand at the time of the incident. Prosecutor Charles Minor told the jury “these officers were threatened by (the defendant).”

Hacker, however, said he was just making a sandwich.

“If you wanna believe that during the course of all this, the defendant went and made himself a sandwich and drank a drink or drinks, that defies common sense,” said prosecutor Minor.

He also said in audio/video recordings the defendant admitted he had a knife.

The defendant took the witness stand on Thursday, telling the jury that after he went inside his house, he woke his grandmother. He said she began speaking to the officer at their door, and Hacker thought she would resolve things.

Peggy Williams, 72, the defendant’s grandmother, said she was “trying to get (the officer) to tell (her) what Steven had done.” She said the officer finally told her Hacker “ran a stop sign.”

It was then, the defendant said, that he went to make himself a sandwich. He said he did not remember coming to the door with the butter knife he was using.

Defense attorney Robin Flores pointed out that no knife was collected during the investigation, and “the most critical piece of evidence,” Officer Derek Roncin’s audio and video, was not available.

“It’s a summary punishment by the overreach of a government actor who is not gonna be told no and had no reason to do what he did,” said attorney Flores.

Prosecutor Minor said, “What’s important is that a police officer gives an order, and as a citizen (Hacker) was to stop and comply. Had he done that, what happened afterward may not have happened.”

The defendant said he didn’t identify himself to the police because he didn’t “have any warrant” and hadn’t done anything. He said he stopped his vehicle while driving at the corner of Glass Street and Daisy Street to ask if a friend needed a ride. He said he then drove home.

He guessed Officer Roncin was following him because the officer was “trying to see if I was gonna swerve or anything, pull me over.” He said he remembered driving through a yellow light.

Hacker told the jury the officer never turned on his blue lights or told him he was under arrest. The defendant said he was afraid, since the officer came out of his car with his hand on his gun when he pulled into the defendant’s driveway.

During closing statements, prosecutor Minor told the jury that Officer Roncin testified that he thought the defendant and the unknown person by the vehicle were involved in a “hand-to-hand drug interaction.”

He also said Officer Roncin testified to the light being red, and reminded the jury about findings from special agents of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation who had tested the defendant's blood.

Prosecutor Minor said the defendant had cocaine in his system, as well as alcohol and hydrocodone. Hacker said he didn’t use cocaine and had been prescribed hydrocodone. He said he had had two beers at the house.

Attorney Flores argued that the blood tests were unreliable. He said officers, who are defendants in a lawsuit Hacker has filed for $600,000 against the city, concocted a story to justify what they were doing.

“If they win here, they win there,” he said.

Hacker told the jury that on the night of the incident, he went outside on his porch with his hands up. He said when he heard a “pop,” he thought he’d been shot.

“Officer Watkins, the one that tased me, ran and jumped on me and said, ‘Move, I’ll tase you again,’” Hacker said. “I was laying in the glass and in my blood.”

When her grandson tried to go outside, Ms. Williams told the jury she “was pushing to keep him inside” because she was afraid of the police.

“I didn’t know what they were going to do to him,” she said.

When Hacker ran past her to the porch, she said she heard a window break.

“I looked, and he was laying on the floor with blood everywhere,” she said. “I was horrified then.”

Hacker told the jury he received significant injuries, including one from a large piece of glass that got stuck in his back. He said the hospital bills are still unpaid.

Prosecutor Minor said in his closing statements, “Your behavior dictates how you are treated, whether you are a police officer or anyone else.”

He said Hacker was yelling at officers and saying he was going to kill them, behaving in such a way because he had drugs in his system. He told the jury Hacker “was a danger to himself and to everyone else.” The police did not “intentionally try to hurt (Hacker),” prosecutor Minor said.

“If you listen to (the defense’s) theory, you have rogue officers, officers who care little about the law, who are intent on doing whatever they can to arrest this man,” he said. “These officers were doing their job, and they did it to the best of their ability, and they did what they could to help (Hacker) out.”