COLFAX — A 23-year-old man who pulled a handgun during an arrest in downtown Colfax in December pleaded guilty Monday morning to four of his five charges including carrying weapons and assault of a police officer.
Matthew S. Holett, of Colfax, entered the plea during a hearing in Jasper County District Court. A fifth charge, third-degree theft for possession of a stolen handgun, is still open.
Dash cam footage obtained by the Jasper County Tribune in January shows Holett pulling a .22 caliber pistol from his waistband during a struggle at 12:36 a.m. Dec. 13, 2014, in the 10 block of East Howard Street in downtown Colfax. In the footage, Holett appears to try to point the weapon at the officer around his back and between his legs while being detained. Holett began yelling at police after he arrived on scene during the arrest of another man seen in the video urinating on the side of a building. The verbal exchange prompted the confrontation.
The weapon Holett is carrying in the dash cam video is a Phoenix Arms .22 caliber automatic pistol, reported as stolen by the Knoxville Police Department in October 2014.
Police reports indicate law enforcement used a Taser to subdue Holett as he attempted to discard the weapon between the wall of his first-floor apartment and a refrigerator. No firearms were discharged and no one was seriously injured during the incident.
Holett pleaded guilty Monday to interference with official acts, a Class D felony, carrying weapons and possession of marijuana and assault on a police officer causing bodily injury.
Holett also has an open charge of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver from an earlier arrest in June 2014. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 28.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at mmendenhall
@jaspercountytribune.com