Fisher faces court again
Published 9:28 am Wednesday, August 2, 2017
The man accused of taking a Springfield woman on a wild ride through Boyle County that ended in a foot pursuit Harrodsburg was in court on Tuesday.
Marion Fisher, 36, was on the Boyle County Circuit Court docket on Tuesday for a pretrial conference, appeared and was rescheduled to appear in September.
Fisher was arrested on July 23, 2015, by Boyle County Sheriff’s Deputies in Mercer County.
According to an Aug. 6, 2015, account by Deputy Casey McCoy in The Advocate-Messenger, Fisher and Sharonna Harmon, who were dating, stopped by the side of the road “to split a fifth of whiskey,” on July 23, 2015.
After a while, Harmon tried to call her mother because she was concerned they were “too intoxicated to drive,” but Fisher “wouldn’t let her,” the article states.
“He started driving, and he became agitated. He asked her if she was prepared to die,” McCoy said.
Fisher drove to Perryville, where Harmon was able to turn the car off and pull the keys from the ignition.
They struggled and ultimately Fisher regained control. He continued to drive, and threw her cell out the window.
On U.S. 150, he pulled over to assist a stranded motorist, Harmon told authorities. That man later flagged law enforcement down to alert them to the situation.
When authorities located Fisher, it led to a chase and into Mercer County. He attempted to flee on foot, prompting deputies to deploy a Taser and then K9 Djanco, when the Taser failed to stop him.
According to records obtained from the Boyle County Detention Center website, from the events of July 23, 2015, Fisher faces charges of: fleeing or evading police, first-degree; second offense of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of drugs; operating on a suspended license; third-degree possession of a controlled substance, drug unspecified; first-degree resisting arrest; first-degree unlawful imprisonment; first-degree wanton endangerment; and first-degree wanton endangerment for a police officer.
In January, he was also indicted on a first degree persistent felony offender charge, based on the culmination of the charges he already faced.
Under KRS 532.080, a persistent felony offender is someone who is more than 21 years old and who, after being found guilty of two or more felonies, stands convicted of another felony offense, or one or more sex crimes against a minor.
Someone found to be a first degree persistent felony offender can face more than 10 years in prison, and the offense authorizes authorities to take away the option of probation.
Last month, Fisher was expected to accept a plea deal, but in a surprising shift did not during the July court date.
“For whatever reason, he didn’t want to plead guilty to the DUI charge,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Richie Bottoms at the time.
The deal, Bottoms said, included dismissing the persistent felony offender charge that Fisher faced, if he agreed to take a guilty plea.
Bottoms said in July, they would have recommended at least three years.
Fisher remains lodged in the Boyle County Detention Center.
Also before Judge Darren Peckler was:
• Bobby Cassady, accused of 22 counts of first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor under 18; one count of first-degree unlawful transaction with a minor under 16; one count of promoting a sexual performance by a minor under the age of 18; one count of possessing or viewing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor; and two counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
Cassady was scheduled for a pretrial conference, which has been reset for October. According to Bottoms, the delay is because there is a potential for federal charges to be brought against Cassady, who is currently out on bond.