A Cleveland man is being held on a $500,000 bond after he failed to appear Nov. 21 for a hearing leading up to a Dec. 12 murder trial in a March 2021 homicide, according to court officials and records.
Charles Franklin Garrett, 44, is back behind bars on allegations of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the shooting death of Xavier Rouse and the attempted shooting of Jordan Myers at TBOW's Tavern in Cleveland. According to court documents, Garrett is also charged in the case with being a felon in possession of a firearm and using a firearm to commit a felony. Records show his arrest Tuesday resulted in a charge of failure to appear in court.
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According to Chattanooga Times Free Press archives, the shooting happened shortly before 2:30 a.m. March 17, 2021, when Cleveland police responded to the 1500 block of Spring Place Road Southeast, authorities stated in a news release. When officers arrived, witnesses told police a "white male entered the bar and began causing problems."
An altercation began between that man, who police later identified as Garrett, and a bar employee, Jordan Myers, according to previous reports. During the incident, a bar patron later identified as Rouse was shot, and emergency services transported him to a hospital where he died. Bradley County Sheriff's Office deputies found Garrett at the Spring Lake Apartments shortly after he fled the scene.
The indictment charging Garrett states Rouse was killed when Garrett attempted to shoot Myers.
Officials in Bradley County Circuit Court said Garrett has a court appearance set for Dec. 11, the day before his trial is to begin. In an email, Bradley County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. Robert Jones said Garrett remained in custody as of Wednesday morning.
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.
Contributed photo / Charles Franklin Garrett, 44, of Cleveland.