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Wife: Charges ‘put us through hell’
Costs of case where man shot alleged cow shooter could take part of farm.
By Ryan Slight
News-Leader
Thomas Brennan no longer faces criminal charges for shooting a man who killed one of his cows, but his wife said that does not end the difficulties he and she face.
Because of the significant legal costs it took to defend himself against the charges, the couple may have to sell part of the Douglas County farm they’ve had for nearly three decades.
“It put us through hell. The whole event was horrific, because my husband fired that gun in self-defense,†Brennan’s wife, Terry, said Sunday.
They also lived with the “very traumatic†fear that Randall Wade Scofield, the Mansfield man Thomas Brennan shot, could have died in a hospital, she said, which could have caused the farmer to face a murder charge.
“We’re delighted that the charges were dropped. We felt Tom should never have been charged to begin with,†Terry Brennan said.
Thomas Brennan was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting Scofield in the face with a .357-caliber Magnum on Sept. 4, 2001, in northern Douglas County, near the Wright County line.
Douglas County Prosecutor Chris Swatosh dismissed the charges last week after he said new facts and additional investigation revealed that Brennan, 61, had a strong case of self-defense — particularly a witness who might have testified in court.
The Brennans’ attorney, Dan Wade, said a better investigation by officials would have revealed it was a case of self-defense early on. Physical evidence showed Scofield was reaching for a gun when Brennan fired, Wade said.
“They kept trying to get Tom to plead. But he wouldn’t take it because he knew he didn’t do anything wrong,†Wade said.
Efforts to reach Swatosh for comment Sunday were unsuccessful.
Scofield had allegedly been drinking the day he arrived on a road by Brennan’s property as a passenger in a vehicle.
He had been out of prison a few weeks after serving seven years for burglary, Wade said.
Brennan, who was sitting on a porch at his home, heard a blast when Scofield allegedly shot and killed one of his cows. Wade said Brennan drove a short distance to the site where the animal was slain, and heard a description of the vehicle that Scofield was in from a neighbor.
Brennan and the neighbor went to check on the rest of the livestock when Scofield’s vehicle approached them, the attorney said.
Scofield and an unidentified driver reportedly said they didn’t shoot the cow and didn’t have a gun, he said.
However, the neighbor saw a rifle in the back of the vehicle, Wade said.
Scofield reached for the weapon and the driver began reversing, prompting Brennan to fire a shot, he said.
“He had five more bullets. He just fired to defuse the threat to his neighbor,†Wade said.
After a long hospital stay, Scofield recovered from the shooting.
Scofield, who could not be reached for comment, has several charges pending in Wright County, including leaving the scene of an accident, possession of methamphetamine and felonious restraint and assault.
He is currently free on a personal recognizance bond.
Wade questioned why prosecutors filed no charges against Scofield for being a felon in possession of a firearm or shooting a cow.
“I was just disappointed that they chose to take the word of a convicted felon over the word of law-abiding farmers,†he said.
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/douglas0113.html
Costs of case where man shot alleged cow shooter could take part of farm.
By Ryan Slight
News-Leader
Thomas Brennan no longer faces criminal charges for shooting a man who killed one of his cows, but his wife said that does not end the difficulties he and she face.
Because of the significant legal costs it took to defend himself against the charges, the couple may have to sell part of the Douglas County farm they’ve had for nearly three decades.
“It put us through hell. The whole event was horrific, because my husband fired that gun in self-defense,†Brennan’s wife, Terry, said Sunday.
They also lived with the “very traumatic†fear that Randall Wade Scofield, the Mansfield man Thomas Brennan shot, could have died in a hospital, she said, which could have caused the farmer to face a murder charge.
“We’re delighted that the charges were dropped. We felt Tom should never have been charged to begin with,†Terry Brennan said.
Thomas Brennan was charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action for shooting Scofield in the face with a .357-caliber Magnum on Sept. 4, 2001, in northern Douglas County, near the Wright County line.
Douglas County Prosecutor Chris Swatosh dismissed the charges last week after he said new facts and additional investigation revealed that Brennan, 61, had a strong case of self-defense — particularly a witness who might have testified in court.
The Brennans’ attorney, Dan Wade, said a better investigation by officials would have revealed it was a case of self-defense early on. Physical evidence showed Scofield was reaching for a gun when Brennan fired, Wade said.
“They kept trying to get Tom to plead. But he wouldn’t take it because he knew he didn’t do anything wrong,†Wade said.
Efforts to reach Swatosh for comment Sunday were unsuccessful.
Scofield had allegedly been drinking the day he arrived on a road by Brennan’s property as a passenger in a vehicle.
He had been out of prison a few weeks after serving seven years for burglary, Wade said.
Brennan, who was sitting on a porch at his home, heard a blast when Scofield allegedly shot and killed one of his cows. Wade said Brennan drove a short distance to the site where the animal was slain, and heard a description of the vehicle that Scofield was in from a neighbor.
Brennan and the neighbor went to check on the rest of the livestock when Scofield’s vehicle approached them, the attorney said.
Scofield and an unidentified driver reportedly said they didn’t shoot the cow and didn’t have a gun, he said.
However, the neighbor saw a rifle in the back of the vehicle, Wade said.
Scofield reached for the weapon and the driver began reversing, prompting Brennan to fire a shot, he said.
“He had five more bullets. He just fired to defuse the threat to his neighbor,†Wade said.
After a long hospital stay, Scofield recovered from the shooting.
Scofield, who could not be reached for comment, has several charges pending in Wright County, including leaving the scene of an accident, possession of methamphetamine and felonious restraint and assault.
He is currently free on a personal recognizance bond.
Wade questioned why prosecutors filed no charges against Scofield for being a felon in possession of a firearm or shooting a cow.
“I was just disappointed that they chose to take the word of a convicted felon over the word of law-abiding farmers,†he said.
http://www.springfieldnews-leader.com/news/douglas0113.html
