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Hill sentenced for stabbing
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Jacob Hill was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail on Wednesday and was credited with time served after being found guilty of reckless endangerment for stabbing a man in the neck. Hill must undergo a mental evaluation before being sentenced for other charges he faces.
Atlanta Northcutt
Published: Aug 17, 2019, 10:46 PM

A man charged with attempted murder, who was found guilty of a much lesser offense following a jury trial, has been sentenced to time served.

Jacob Lee Hill, 28, was found guilty of misdemeanor reckless endangerment by a jury last month. During his sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Hill was handed an 11-month, 29-day sentence. He was credited with time served after being incarcerated since Aug. 5, 2018 to fulfill his sentence.

The sentence comes after Hill was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and aggravated burglary when Eddie Jones was stabbed in the neck with a knife at Jones’ apartment in July 2017.

During Hill’s two-day jury trial last month, the jury found Hill not guilty of the attempted first-degree murder charge due to lack of evidence.

Jones, police officers and several witnesses took the stand, but opposing claims of what Hill was wearing and claims of a knife case not being properly bagged in a sealed evidence folder led the jury to find Hill guilty of the lesser charge. The knife case was found on Hill’s person during his arrest.

The Class A felony of attempted first-degree murder would have landed Hill in prison for 15 to 25 years, while the misdemeanor conviction carries a maximum 11-month, 29-day sentence.

Although Hill has fulfilled the time he owes on that sentence, he remains in jail on other charges including felony escape attempt, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault upon public and private transportation employees.

During Hill’s sentencing Wednesday, a motion for a mental evaluation was approved by Judge Bart Stanley regarding the other charges. Hill will appear in court for those charges once the mental evaluation is performed. 

Hill must also pay restitution for injuries caused to the victim.
Manchester man receives 3 arson charges for Dollar General fire
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The Sparta Street Dollar General's return is unclear after a fire set intentionally by Howell led to severe damages. - photo by Nikki Childers
Nikki Childers
Published: Apr 16, 2025, 1:01 AM
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Matthew Howell

A Manchester man accused of starting a fire at a local Dollar General store is facing three arson charges.

McMinnville Fire Department and McMinnville Police Department responded to a fire at the site of the Dollar General store located at 1001 Sparta Street at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Friday morning.

According to authorities, the blaze was allegedly set by Matthew Howell, 19, who later admitted to MPD Detective Chris Summers he was responsible for the crime.

"I responded to the Dollar General after receiving an arson call and met with Ben Cantrell," Summers said. "Howell matched the description of the male observed running from the store, and he ran into the Tennessee Mental Health Consumers building."

According to the confession given by Howell, he had spoken to his mother on the phone and grown angry because she wouldn't pick him up right away and he ran from the building and to the Dollar General where he grabbed a torch lighter and began burning a bra.

Once Howell set the fire, he allegedly fled the building and wound up back in the parking lot of Tennessee Mental Health Consumers where Summers made contact with him and. After some initial reluctance, he allegedly admitted to setting the fire.

There were no injuries as a result of the fire, but three employees were inside the building at the time of the blaze. Howell was taken into custody and charged with three counts of aggravated arson. His bond is $30,000, and he is expected to appear in court Tuesday.

According to McMinnville Fire Chief Marty White, the Dollar General's current structure appears to be a total loss due to the severe damages caused by the fire, water and smoke.

When reached for comment in regards to the future of Dollar General in the Sparta Street location, Dollar General Public Relations said, "At this time, we are in the process of assessing the damage of our store and expect to have updated plans on the store's future at the conclusion of that assessment."