A new public defender has been appointed for a Tennessee man charged in Mercer County with Class 3 felonies of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and theft over $500. 50 year old Gary Lothridge’s pre-trial conference has been continued to March 9th. He was being represented by Dan Dalton, but there was a conflict and now Aaron Dyer is handling the case. Lothridge was arrested in late December following a disturbance in Viola where another man was stabbed. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Lothridge remains in custody at the Mercer County Jail on $40,000 bond.
