The shooting case against Kenneth Quarles is now heading to the grand jury after a preliminary hearing was waived in Christian District Court Monday afternoon.
The 52-year old Quarles is facing charges of first-degree assault, wanton endangerment, tampering with evidence and intimidating a participant in the legal process after he allegedly shot 49-year old Marque Fricks in the upper torso on East First Street on October 17. Defense attorney Sands Chewning represents Quarles and waived the preliminary hearing, with Judge Foster Cotthoff then sending it to the grand jury for consideration of indictment.
Chewning requested a change in Quarles bond—which is set at $50,000—but Judge Cotthoff denied it, saying that will have to be determined in circuit court if Quarles is indicted.
A Hopkinsville Police Department arrest citation alleges that Quarles confronted Fricks in the 700 block of East First, shot him in the upper-torso with a 9 mm handgun and then pointed the gun at a woman who was nearby, telling her it was something she didn’t want to get involved in.
He reportedly fled in a pickup that was located behind apartments on McHenry Street and police say he emerged from the apartments when officers arrived and claimed he shot Fricks because Fricks reached for a gun while the two were talking.
Fricks was flown by Air Evac to Skyline Medical Center in Nashville, where he was listed in critical, but stable condition.