Hearing for shooting suspect postponed so special judge can be appointed

A preliminary hearing for the Burns man charged with the Halloween shooting of his wife’s ex-husband was postponed last week to allow a special judge to be appointed to hear the case. Rodger Dale Waynick is charged with attempted criminal homicide for the Oct. 31 shooting of Creek Wood High School teacher and coach Matthew Jones in what police said was a domestic incident. Dickson Municipal Court Judge Reese Holley announced on Thursday that he would recuse himself from presiding over Waynick’s preliminary hearing due to a conflict because he previously represented one of the parties involved. Holley tentatively rescheduled Waynick’s preliminary hearing for Feb. 26, but court officials said that date could change depending on the availability of whomever is appointed special judge. Normally a member of the local bar association who is qualified to sit as a judge is brought in to preside and a court official said there are three or four candidates being considered. Cases in which a special judge is needed due to conflicts are normally heard on Tuesdays in Dickson Municipal Court. Police say Waynick shot Jones in the lower back Halloween evening during a dispute at Jones’ Payne Springs Road home. Det. Don Arnold said Waynick and his wife Laura, who was formerly married to Jones, were at the home to pick up the Joneses’ two children ages 6 and 10 when Jones and Waynick got into an altercation over allegations that Waynick had smacked the children in the back of the head. Waynick fired two shots from a .45-caliber semiautomatic pistol from inside his car with one shot striking Jones in the back. Waynick is free on $125,000 bond and Jones has since been released from the hospital after doctors decided not to try to remove the bullet in his back.