Local boys involved in felony cases in Carter and Fallon Counties

Three local boys are being charged with several felonies in both Carter County and Fallon County following a series of incidents targeting juvenile females last year. Two of the defendants, Tucker Tooke and Sylvan "Royce" Tooke, were both minors at the time of the incidents and were arraigned as such earlier this year, but they have since turned 18 years of age. The third defendant, Turner Tooke, was an adult at the time of the incident.

The incidents occurred last year but continued delays have stopped the cases from going to trial. A trial for both Tucker and Sylvan is currently scheduled for Sept. 5 in Carter County. Meanwhile, a trial scheduled for Turner in Fallon County on Aug.1 was vacated on July 10. A new trial date has been set for Oct. 17, according to court documents.

Among the defendants, Tucker is the only one being charged in both counties. In Carter County, he is being charged with one count of Surreptitious Visual Observation or Recordation in a Place of Residence, a misdemeanor; two counts Sexual Abuse of Children, a felony; and one count Intimidation, a felony. Meanwhile, Sylvan was charged solely in Carter County with one count Surreptitious Visual Observation or Recordation in a Place of Residence, a misdemeanor, and two counts Sexual Abuse of Children, a felony.

In Fallon County, Tucker is being charged with two counts Assault with a Weapon, a felony. Turner, who is being charged solely in Fallon County, is being charged with one count Assault with a Weapon, a felony.

Carter County

According to court documents, the charges in Carter County against Tucker Tooke and Sylvan Tooke stem from an incident on or about May 26, 2022 when Carter County Deputy Sheriff Dwayne Bruce was dispatched to Carter County High School to investigate a complaint. Upon arriving at the school, he spoke with the complainant, a teacher and mandatory reporter, who reported receiving a call from a former student accusing the defendants of surreptitiously recording a sexual encounter with another student, a juvenile female, and threatening the video would be released if she did not engage in further sexual acts.

Speaking to the juvenile female later in the day, Bruce was informed that she engaged in sexual activity with Sylvan Tooke at his home on May 19. Several hours after the encounter, she was texted by Sylvan's cousin, Tucker Tooke, who informed her he was hidden in the room and had recorded the encounter. She said she did not know if Sylvan was aware of Tucker's presence prior to the encounter, but that he noticed Tucker during the act and did not say anything, according to court documents.

On May 27, Deputy Bruce received a search warrant for the defendants' cell phones and "any and all digital recording and storage devices" from Sylvan's home and vehicle. At the time, Tucker was living in the same residence, according to court documents.

Both defendants were interviewed by the Carter County Sheriff's Office on May 27, 2022. In their interviews, the defendants both stated the situation was a "big joke" and no videos or pictures had actually been taken, according to court documents. The defendants' phones were seized at the end of the interviews and the search warrant was served at the residence later that day, with deputies seizing a laptop.

On May 28, Deputy Bruce met with Fallon County Undersheriff Nic Eisele and they downloaded the contents from the defendants' phones. Images or video of the alleged incident reported were not found on the phone, but similar content was. The juvenile female later provided deputies with screen shots from her iPod showing a series of images that appeared to be of Sylvan Tooke, matching the view of his bedroom from the closet, court documents state. The screen shot was a still image from a Snapchat message from someone named "Tucker," deputies noted.

On May 31, Deputy Bruce interviewed witnesses who claimed they knew of a conversation in which both defendants admitted to videotaping the encounter between Sylvan and the juvenile female and that the video had been sent to other people. Bruce checked Tucker Tooke's phone and located a Snapchat group message between him and Sylvan that contained a series of videos that appeared to depict the sexual encounter between Sylvan and the juvenile female, according to court documents.

Upon further examination of the video, Bruce noted that Sylvan appeared to make eye contact with the person recording and even communicate with a hand sign. On June 7, Bruce received a search warrant for Snapchat for the account records of the juvenile female and the defendants and served it via the law enforcement portal by email.

On June 8, the juvenile female said in a follow-up interview that Tucker said he would delete the video of the encounter if she had intercourse with him. On June 15, another interview with Sylvan was conducted where he denied knowing Tucker was in the bedroom closet during the encounter, but when confronted with evidence to the contrary said he had forbade Tucker from videotaping, according to court documents.

Fallon County

According to court documents, the charges in Fallon County stem from an incident on or about Nov. 9, 2022 when Fallon County Dispatch received a call from a complainant who reported that their child, a juvenile female, had been branded at a party on Nov. 5.

Fallon County Sheriff's Deputy Timothy Grube interviewed the victim - Victim 1 - later that day. During the interview, the victim stated that herself and another juvenile female - Victim 2 - had consumed alcohol on the night of Nov. 5 and later went to a party in a barn. She explained that during the party, she fell asleep due to being very intoxicated. Later, she realized she had been branded without her consent, with people at the party telling her it had been done by Tucker Tooke, according to court documents. She also reported noticing that Victim 2 had been branded on the leg as well.

Victim 2 was interviewed on Nov. 10 and again on Nov. 18. During her interview, she corroborated the events of the night leading up to the party at the barn. She stated she witnessed Tucker Tooke branding Victim 1 and, in the second interview, confirmed that she had also been branded and believed it was Tucker who branded her.

Court documents for both Tucker Tooke and Turner Tooke both state the defendants were interviewed on Nov. 18. In documents for Turner, the defendant reportedly admitted to branding Victim 1. Meanwhile, in documents for Tucker Tooke, the defendant reportedly admitted to branding both Victim 1 and Victim 2. In both cases, the defendants claimed the victims gave their consent prior to being branded, according to court documents.

Hunter Herbaugh can be reached at [email protected].