Wesley Dickerson, who was shot by his brother as part of an ongoing dispute between the men about four years ago and who is now charged with threatening to shoot other members of his family, has undergone a mental evaluation and was found fit to proceed in the case against him.
Mark Cooper, who represents Dickerson, said during a session of Baxter County Circuit Court Thursday he would not challenge the findings, paving the way for the case to go to trial the week of March 25th.
The most recent incident involving violent confrontations between members of the Dickerson family took place at the 71-year-old Wesley Dickerson’s residence along Sheid Road in Norfork May 22nd.
Baxter County deputies were called to the residence to investigate reports of a potentially violent domestic altercation involving firearms.
When the deputies arrived, they found a number of people in the front yard of the residence. The people yelled at the officers to take cover because a person inside the residence had a rifle.
The wife of Wesley Dickerson told deputies her husband had been drinking and had gotten into an altercation with his grandson following an argument over the return of some guns. She said when the fight broke out, there were children present, but family members came to the residence and removed them.
In addition to having firearms pointed at his grandson, it was reported Wesley Dickerson had hit the relative with a cane, leaving a bloody cut across his face.
Wesley Dickerson’s wife said she tried to break up the fight. She said Wesley Dickerson had shoved her down and punched her several times.
After getting information from some of the victims, deputies moved the people who had been in the yard of the residence behind one of the barns on the property.
All parties on the scene told deputies they had seen Wesley Dickerson point weapons at people multiple times. They told deputies there were a number of weapons in the house to which he had access.
Once family members were in places of safety, the deputies began to establish a perimeter around the residence. They then saw a male emerge from the house staggering and carrying bags and weapons. The male subject, identified as Wesley Dickerson, was reportedly slurring his words and appeared to be heavily under the influence of alcohol.
Wesley Dickerson was alleged to have told deputies he had been involved in the altercation, but they reported nothing else he said beyond that statement “made much sense.”
Deputies took control of Wesley Dickerson, the weapons he was carrying, and placed him under arrest.
The tables were turned during an incident in July 2014 when it was Wesley Dickerson who was shot by a relative — his younger brother, 58-year-old Charles Dickerson.
According to court records, Wesley Dickerson drove to the home of his younger brother on July 5th, 2014. Charles Dickerson ordered his older brother off his property and fired a single shot from a 12-gauge shotgun while standing near the front door of his residence.
Deputies reported at the time evidence at the scene showed Wesley Dickerson had been sitting in his pickup truck about 40-to-50-feet away from where the shot was fired. The blast damaged the truck’s door frame and shattered glass. Wesley Dickerson was struck in the face and upper body. The injured man drove himself to his residence off Sheid Road. He was eventually airlifted to a Little Rock hospital for treatment.
Wesley Dickerson told deputies there had been an ongoing dispute between the two men surrounding a $300 debt. Wesley Dickerson said he had driven to his brother’s house in 2014 to see if the siblings could work out their differences. Wesley Dickerson said he was willing to forgive the debt, if it would assist in repairing the riff between the brothers.
Charles Dickerson was sentenced to 10 years in prison in January 2015. He is currently reported on parole.
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